Spirit
by Seripa
Summary: Haooc Zekeoc. Tohru Komayaka was born into a long line of Shaman what happens when she loses her home and her family. The only safety is to get to Dobi Village. rated for later chapters. CHAPTER 19 IS HERE! ON HIATUS, possible rewrite coming soon!
1. Death

Disclaimer: I do not own Shaman King.

Warning: If you are expecting or hoping for a fluffy ending it is not going to happen.

Tohru Komayaka was born into a long line of Shaman. Her whole family were Shamans. Her father, cousins, uncles and aunts, everyone except her mother. Rosetta Komayaka was a normal human; although she could see spirits she never had nor wished to have any powers. This always worried Tohru's father who was very protective of his wife and feared that if anything were to ever happen she would not be able to fight back. Rosetta was a beautiful woman. She had straight white hair that reached down to her hips. She always wore it pinned up and put a flower in it every morning. Her slender figure and Crystal Blue eyes made her appearance startling. Tohru's father had been blown away with her beauty and they married at only 18. He never stopped telling her how beautiful she was, after Tohru was born he continued to tell her but then he had another equally beautiful female in his life. Tohru had inherited her mothers beauty and looked very similar to her. There were however, a few differences, Tohru had her fathers eyes. They were a beautiful green like emeralds and sparkled with life and hope. Her father always told her they sparkled like diamonds in the dark of the night. She also had his temper, although her mother always stayed calm, she had more of a tendency to get irate, but she could control it. Tohru's father had taught her to be a strong Shaman and when the day came for her to receive her guardian ghost her family looked on, proud at what she had become.

Her guardian ghost was called Ellena and was a very powerful spirit. Her skin was as pale as snow and she had sky blue hair that tumbled in soft curls trailing behind her as she walked. Ellena was unusually tall and her eyes were completely black. There were also blue markings all over her body. She wore a short dress made of material so light it appeared to flat. Ellena was the Spirit of water. One of the five most powerful known spirits and she had been the guardian ghost of females in the Komayaka family for generations.

One July when tohru had become a teenager, Tohru had been out for the day with friends. They went to the riverside and stayed there all day talking to each other about the normal topics that teenage girls discuss.. She was to have a large party for her birthday that evening. Her family were travelling from all around the world to be there and she was looking forward to it.She had not seen many of them for a long time.

Her friends went back to her house ahead of her to get ready, she lagged behind with Ellena and waited for her them to call for her. After 10 minutes she began to grow curious and pushed aside the door. The horror that greeted her was one that would stay in her mind forever. Hundreds of bodies, her friends all her family, every last one of them slaughtered. She stared in shock and disbelief, willing it to be some sort of joke. She saw her father lying there next to her mother and ran to them both.

"Father!" she sobbed, "Who did this? Why?"

Her father stirred shocking her into silence.

"To-hru...get..to..Do-bi Village...You will be safe there...other shaman...protect you."

"But who did this father"

"Find...map...to...Dobi...Village...in...Family...Temple"

"Who?" she began to sob again.

"Toma...Makura Toma...stay away...from...him...I..love...you"

His eyes closed and he left out a sigh as his spirit parted from his body. Tohru clutched at his clothing.

"Father, why did you have to leave me.Why."

She stared at the peaceful form of her mother lying next to him, she realised she must do what her father had told her. She kissed her mother on the cheek and took the flower out of her hair, a magnolia, it was Tohru's favourite. The scent made her feel safe and secure because it was the scent of her mother.

She ran down the halls of her house to her room, packing a small knapsack with a change of clothes, a small box containing her most precious possessions and some provisions she proceeded to the family temple on the edge of the grounds of their house. She bowed and walked inside to the small statue at the other end. She was not sure why, but knew exactly where the map was and she placed it within the small box in her knapsack.

She stood facing her house for a while, realising that this may well be the last time she ever saw it and then headed out on to the road, Ellena walking by her side.

A tear rolled down her cheek as she moved further and further from her home. Everyone she had held dear was gone, the only one left now was Ellena and she had no words of comfort for she too was too upset for words, the she had known tohru's family longer than Tohru had, and Tohru was the only one left. Their friendship would hold them together and they both knew it


	2. Salvation

Seripa:Thank you to my reviewers I am glad you liked it.

Disclaimer: I do not own Shaman King or any of the original characters, just the ones I made up for this story.

The road was dusty and Tohru had been walking for days without sight of another living soul, Ellena trailed alongside her, constantly on the lookout for anyone who might possibly wish them harm. Tohru meant everything to her now that the rest of the family were dead she had to do anything in her power to protect Tohru. At all costs.

Tohru eyes brightened as she looked up ahead. There was a small town not far away. She would finally be able to rest.

"Ellena look. A town. We've finally found a town."

Her pace quickened and soon she found herself running, her mood better for the thought of food to eat.

"Please..do you have any room left."

"I'm sorry no. I can see that you're a Shaman but you have to understand that there are lots of Shaman staying here at the moment and there is no room left. Everyone wants to get to Dobi Village. You'll have to find somewhere else."

Tohru slumped down on a bench and watched the bustle as many Shaman hurried about. They all seemed to be talking of Dobi Village but no-one seemed to know where it was.

She looked around and secretly smiled to herself. She knew exactly where Dobi village was. The problem was getting there. It was still over one hundred miles away.

"Oh well Ellena, looks like we're camping out under the stars again tonight."

"But Tohru, surely there is somewhere you can stay."

"No I have been to every Inn, Hotel and BB in this town and not one has a single vacancy."

Tohru lifted herself from the bench and began to walk away from the hustle and bustle of town.

"Come on Ellena, let's find a good spot to pitch the tent."

Ellena drifted behind her, smiling as she remembered how Tohru Komayaka had been when she was youger

Flashback-

"Now come on honey, summon the spirit from the apple.Thats it."

"DADDYYYYY. I can't do it it's too hard, I want pizza."

"Tohru come here a minute."

Tohru shuffled to where her father and Ellena were standing watching Tohru train.

"Everyone at some point in their lives wanted to give up on something, but giving up is not the right path, When your mother and I wanted to marry, her family forbid it but we didn't give up and thanks to that we had you and you are the most precious diamond in my life. Never give up on trying, you'll always regret it otherwise."

End Flashback-

"hey this looks like a good spot" cried Tohru as Ellena sat down a few metres away, her blue curling hair resting behind her like the train of a wedding dress.

Tohru began to put up the tent. she layed out each pole, then carefully inserted them into the appropriate holes, she began to sing as she worked, a song her mother had sang many years ago to her and one that always struck a chord in her heart.

... "Its not easy now but you got friends you can trust,

_Friends will be friends,_

_When you're in need of love they give you care and attention,_

_Friends will be friends_

_when you're through with life_

_and all hope is lost_

_hold out your hand_

_cause friends will be friends, right till the end..."_

She had finally set up the tent but the sun was sinking so she walked back to town to find some food. She came across a small diner that was once again packed full of Shaman.

"I'm sorry love, but there's no room left."

"Oh ok."

Tohru walked back outside.

"oh well Ellena doesn't look like we will be getting anything to eat again tonight, but no matter, we are strong shaman and together we will overcome all the odds."

She opened up the tent flap and sat down on her sleeping bag, it was now well into the night but she still cold not sleep.

"Father would never allow me to give up, I must get to Dobi village, where I will finally be safe."

A tear rolled silently down her cheek, following the contours of her face. She opened up the box containing her possessions and picked out one of the photos within, it was her mother and her, swimming in the river near her house, Ellena was floating by the bank a smile on her face.

"Ellena, do you want to go on ahead and check out the road ahead, I'll be alright until morning"

"Are you sure?"

"Of course"

Ellena disappeared, if Tohru wanted her to leave then she would, sometimes Tohru needed time to herself and Ellena would give her that because she could see the pain in her eyes, something that ate away at her every day, and she knew she had to fight it, it was her desire for revenge.

"Master Hao, There is a girl staying outside the village and she's a Shaman."

"Well is she strong Opatcho?"

"Yes I think so Master Hao."

"Well then we had better keep her alive, I may need her yet."

"Ok, Master Hao"

There was a rustling outside her door, a pang of fear jolted through her system.

"Ell-lena?"

She peered outside and her eyes widened at what was before her, mountains of food, steaming soups, bread, vegetables and fruits. She began to sob with gratitude. Ellena appeared nearby and gasped

"Who gave you all this food?"

"I don't know. but whoever you are THANK YOU SO MUCH, YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHAT THIS MEANS TO ME"

From up in one of the nearby trees Opatcho smiled and hopped of into the darkness.

Seripa: Hope you enjoyed it, I apologise for the long gaps between updates but I have a lot of work to do for GCSE's.


	3. Encounter

Disclaimer: I do not own Shaman king or any of the characters except for Tohru and Ellena

_Thank you to all reviewers for the kind words... I figure that although Hao might be completely insane he isn't exactly as evil as we first think, after all he thinks he's doing the right thing for the earth, he's just wrong. That's why he probably has some heart. Plus she's gonna be useful in the future and not in the sick and perverted way you may be thinking._

After what ultimately seemed like an eternity, Tohru drifted off to sleep. the food left by, as far as she was concerned, an anonymous onlooker, had all been consumed and left Tohru feeling not only full but curious as to who had given her all the food.

From personal experience, most Shaman on their way to Dobi Village stuck to their groups and kept to themselves. This was the first good thing that had happened to her for almost a month. the previous incident being her mother giving her a locket necklace on the morning of her birthday.

Her slumber, however was not at all peaceful, plagued once again by visions of her family and her friends lying slaughtered in front of her. Tohru woke up with a start and looked around. She began to cry, her whole body shaking. Ellena was nowhere to be seen. It was something that happened from time to time, almost like sleepwalking, Ellena would drift off in a trance like state and not return for many hours. It didn't worry Tohru who had been told of how this had happened for the many hundreds of years Ellena had been with the Komayaka family. However for some reason she was afraid and began to jump at the slightest noise.

As she ran out of her tent, she stumbled and fell. She found herself gazing at the moon and for some reason it calmed her. She lay on her back and watch the clouds pass overhead. Her long white hair shone under the moonlight and the wind nudged the grass around her.

She closed her eyes and began to drift off again when something jolted her back to her senses.

She looked up at the moon and jumped in fright as she saw someone sitting a few metres away. He was smiling at her.

"W-who are you?" she questioned, her eyes wide with fear.

"I was about to ask _you_ the same question, so what is _your_ name?"

Annoyed that he had not answered her she began to scowl at him.

"I take it you don't have a name then girl" he said still smiling.

"Y-you know very well what my name is don't you. You were sent by Toma. Well you won't kill me. You have no idea who you're dealing with. I-I can beat you however strong you are"

"Oh, feisty aren't we. I highly doubt you could beat me but I'm not here to kill you and I certainly wasn't sent by anyone. No-one controls my actions. I came here to see if what I was told was true. If you are and if you are who I think you are then you will be of use to me in the future."

"OF USE! You make me sound like a kitchen utensil!"

She stood up and stormed over to where he was sitting.

"Let me tell you-you nutcase. I will not be used like an inanimate object and you should know that no-one controls my actions either, so get away from me RIGHT NOW or I will open up a can of Kick butt on your sorry ass!"

She stood their for a moment surprised at what she had said, Tohru wasn't the type to insult or provoke people and she realised how scared she must be too act like this.

"I'm so frightened" he stated calmly "Well I suppose I must be going, you must have your beauty sleep and believe me you need it, but remember I'm not finished with you. I'll be back soon"

He disappeared in a tower of flames and Tohru collapsed onto the floor staring at the spot where Hao had stood moments before.

"W-here'd he go?" she asked herself

She crawled back into her tent and did up all the zips and grabbed a knife from her bag.

"I'll be waiting for you, you insane maniac." she whispered and then drifted back to sleep again.


	4. Links in a chain

Thank you to all reviewers who can be bothered to send kind words I really appreciate them and they spur me on to write more.

Disclaimer: I do not own Shaman King or the Characters, I do however own Tohru and Ellena

The sun had risen and Tohru was already awake. Ellena had arrived back earlier in the morning to find Tohru sound asleep for once instead of sitting outside and staring into space.

"Ellena tell me something, in the many years you have accompanied my ancestors have you ever heard of people being able to sort of control fire or something like that."

"Well there was one but... er I don't know much about him, his spirit, the spirit of fire shares a sort of bond with me like all the elemental spirits do, however the spirit of fire is able to switch elementals to suit his environment. I have not come across him in many years. Something many years ago and he lost contact with us, anyone who has the spirit of fire as their guardian ghost would be able to control fire as you can control water, although the spirit of fire is certainly more powerful than I am. why do you ask?"

"Oh well umm...something happened last night while you were gone. I think it was one of Toma's minions and he disappeared in a tower of fire."

"Anyone who could control fire wouldn't take orders from anyone"

"That's what he said"

"you must be careful if there is someone that powerful around"

Tohru got up and wandered off towards the nearby forest. Ellena followed at a distance not wishing to intrude on Tohru's space. She was obviously deep in thought at this point. Tohru sat down in a small clearing and looked around her when she saw something hidden beneath a rock, a small distance away. She crawled over and lifted the rock off it. Underneath lay a brown parcel.

"Tohru! Don't touch it, this might be part of some plot of Toma's." Cried Ellena.

"No, there's a message on it,"

Tohru read the message and clenched her fists. Her face contorted with anger.

"Why that..that..grrrrrrrr. Thinks he can mock me. I'll...I'll" She screamed

"What is it?" said Ellena as she edged towards Tohru.

"That one...who came last night...it's from him.. he is messing with my head...it says 'To a very useful utensil'..he is mocking me"

"I don't get it why kitchen utensil...how very odd." Ellena looked confused.

"It was something I said last night, never mind, let's see what sort of twisted gift he left me." Tohru began to calm down and walked back to her tent. when she arrived back she sat down on a nearby rock took out a knife and ripped through the brown paper.

She gasped when she saw what lay within.

A chain about 2 metres long with links about the size of a thumbnail, it was silver in colour. There was also a note. "I have been watching you and I noticed that your spirit medium was destroyed by Tomas' men along with your family, you will be needing a new one if you are to be of use to me so here it is."

"Hmmmm...should I be happy that I have been given this or angry that he still treats me like a piece of property" Tohru mused to herself, "I'll think about that later."

"Ellena let's give it a whirl" She jumped up and flicked the chain into the air. It came to rest, stretched out in front of her and one end in her hand.

"ELLENA, SPIRIT FORM" she cried, "INTO THE CHAIN"

The chain began to glow and rise off the ground. "It feels good to do this again, doesn't it Ellena."

Tohru began to spin the chain, then practiced her more intricate moves, the chain moved through the air like water in a stream, the ease with which she executed the moves were astounding.

"Time for something a little more powerful" said Tohru, smiling.

The chain formed a circle parallel to the ground in front of her.

Tohru let go of the chain and held her hands just next to the links nearest her. The chain began to spin until it was a blur.

"AQUA RUSH!"

A shaft of water shot from the ground through the circle and into the sky.

The sound of the rushing torrent echoed through the forest and the shaman in the nearby town stood dumbfounded at the towering mass in the distance.

"ELLENA, DESTROY THAT ROCK" Tohru pointed at a large rock the size of a car 10 metres away. The tower of water divided into 20 smaller columns and each one wound its way to the rock surrounding it from all directions at lightning speeds.

"CRUUUSH IT!" Tohru screamed, above the deafening roar.

The small columns of water slmmed into the mass simultaneously, then, as fast as they had appeared, they receded back into the ground beneath the chain circle.

"Well done Ellena. I think it's time we got back on the road"

The chain dropped to the ground and Ellena appeared beside her.

Then Tohru picked it up and wrapped it around her waist like a belt. The dust nearby settled to reveal a decimated crumbling pile of grit, where the rock had been.

Tohru packed up her belongings and the leftover food Hao had given Tohru the night before and folded the tent away. With everything she now owned stored in a small bag on her back she got back on the deserted path to Dobi Village.

A little way away Hao stood just out of sight and watched as she disappeared into the distance.


	5. Thoughts

_DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN SHAMAN KING_

"Master Hao, what are you thinking?" Opatcho hopped onto the ledge where Hao sat, his head resting on one hand, staring into the deep ravine.

"I'm thinking of Yoh and what a troublesome brother he has become..." he sighed and looked up into the night sky.

"Is...is there something else Master?"

"I was thinking of the girl...it's quite a shame she'll probably die" he looked at Opatcho and smiled, "She's quite a pretty little thing and she would do well when I become Shaman King. She appears to be quite strong."

"It might not kill her though Master Hao" said Opatcho hopefully.

Hao continued to gaze at the stars for a few minutes more before he answered. The crisp midnight breeze sent his hair flickering like the flame of a candle all around him.

"I know there is always the possibility she would survive the exchange...but no-one has before and I doubt there is anything different between her and the others and they all died."

"Well maybe we could find someone else...please Master Hao"

"You seem to really care for her don't you Opatcho"

"Well...err r... I suppose I do. I spend so much time keeping an eye on her that I get worried about her."

Hao turned around to watch Opatcho talk. Hao had come to see Opatcho like a younger brother. He chuckled as Opatcho stopped talking.

"Y-you know ummm... maybe instead of... Well... couldn't you, you know. Keep her or something"

"Opatcho, where exactly would I find someone with enough Celestine Furiyoku to get me into Dobi Village, you know if I'm going to trick the King of Spirits I have to have all the Celestine furiyoku of an individual, willingly given to me, you should also remember that a Shaman who loses all their Celestine furiyoku that quickly will die, their body can't cope. That's what happened the last two times I did it. We have searched for a few years and not found anyone with as much Celestine furiyoku as her." Hao bowed his head.

He wouldn't admit it but at that moment he felt a twinge of sadness of the fate he had set out for her. In all the years he had been trying to become Shaman King he had never had true companionship with anyone and her death would be but another lost chance to get close to someone.

Opatcho, seeing that Hao was once again lost in his own thoughts began to hop back to their main camp, calling out to Hao as he went-

"I will go check on her Master"

When I become Shaman King I can change my life, maybe then I will find someone, he thought as the moon hid behind the gathering storm clouds.

_I hope you're liking it so far. I decided to add this small chapter for a little insight into Hao. I must apologise for not writing really long chapters. I'm not very good at that sort of thing, in fact I'm amazed I can keep the story going at all._

_Please review!_


	6. Furiyoku

_Disclaimer: I do not own Shaman King._

_THIS CHAPTER WILL EXPLAIN ALL ABOUT THE CELESTIAL FURIYOKU HAO WAS ON ABOUT IN THE LAST CHAPPIE._

_A/N: Although I am trying to keep everything that happens in tune with the TV series it won't all be because I haven't actually seen the very end of the series and I don't know what happens in Hao and Yoh's fight etc plus some of the timing etc will be changed like when people arrive at Dobi village etc...Sorry. _

Tohru gazed up into the crystal blue sky, the sun shone on her face and her pale skin seemed to reflect the rays like a mirror. She shielded her eyes from the blinding light with one hand.

"If we follow this road north it will take longer than just heading west into the desert Ellena"

"I know but is it at all safe to venture off the road?"

"I appreciate your concern but if safety was the key factor then I would not be in the position of being tracked down by a lunatic Shaman on a blood hunt...

I never did ask you, but do you know why Toma is after me...why did he kill my family?"

Tohru's question was met with silence as she trudges slowly down the dusty track.

"I didn't mean to pry...I know that this affected you too...I know there are many different secrets of my family that I don't yet know and If you don't want to te..."

Tohru stopped abruptly as Ellena's soft voice drifted through the air.

"It's your furiyoku. There are two different types, not many know this. The first type, Ethereal furiyoku is the most common, almost every shaman has it, however there are a few who possess another, much rarer furiyoku known as Celestine. The main differences are in spirit control although there are others."

"What differences exactly?"

"I'm not sure I should tell you all that now you are not ready to hear it, however I will tell you this Celestine allows for a longer, stronger spirit control for one thing. Toma killed your family or their Celestine furiyoku. He possesses the blade of life. It has the ability to drain the furiyoku of a person killed with it. It then instils the killer with the power of that furiyoku. It isn't the first time that members of your family have been killed like this."

Tohru stopped and sank to her knees. Her long white hair resting in the dust, a tear trickled down her cheek.

"All this is because of some furiyoku."

The tear followed the contour of her cheek and slowly evaporated under the sun.

"There was blood everywhere; I can still see it, on my hands... I can still smell the stench, the stench of death, I should have stopped him, saved them, prevented it but I didn't...I didn't."

She crumpled down in a heap. The tears now streaming from her eyes. Strands of her hair clung to the damp of her face.

"Tohru you could not have prevented this. There is much to the Celestine that you cannot yet understand, but you will, in time."

" I just can't help feeling that I could have done more"

Tohru lifted herself from the ground and pushed her back out of her face and gave a smile.

"Well we had better be heading off then"

"Are ou OK?" Ellena floated in front of Tohru and hold her hand up to Tohru's face.

"Yes...Now I've decide I will head across the desert, at least then it will be harder for Toma to follow."

Tohru gave Ellena another reassuring smile then headed out into the desert"

Ellena watched her walk off and murmured "I am not sure you will ever understand the true power you hold within you"

_Seripa: if you want to know what Tohru looks like she looks like Kisara from yu gi oh. She was priest Seto's love and sacrificed herself to save him. She's alos known as the spirit of the blue eyes white dragon. Google it._


	7. Puddles of memories

I do not own Shaman king.

A/N; Italics are flashback

"Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely"

Lord Acton.

This chapter is dedicated to one of my teachers who died on Mothers Day 2005 may she remain in our hearts forever.

_Nobody knows this, it has been a well kept secret, shrouded in mystery although many think they know the truth._

_At the dawn of time were created four beings who were for the most part human. They controlled the four elements-earth, air, fire and water. They maintained balance and protected the planet keeping peace, but as with all times of peace come times of discord following closely in the shadows. _

_The world at this time consisted of a vast ocean and one super continent known to the modern world as Pangaea. History and indeed science unknowingly had it all wrong. At the dawn of time when these beings were created by some unknown higher force many would call god they brought with them balance. The first gave the world heat to warm the very depths of the planet, the second gave the world air so that living beings could breath, the third created water with which beings could sustain themselves and the fourth introduced the beings to the world and so a balance was created._

I wonder how the world would be now if it had not happened if the world had remained at peace thought Ellena as she gazed at the sun rising on the horizon.

"_YOU KNOW WE MUST NOT VENTURE INTO THE FOREST. YOU HEARD THE VOICE THAT TOLD US, THE SAME ONE THAT HAS GUIDED US FROM THE BEGINNING,I love you so much but I am worried that whatever lies through there will only lead to disaster. There must be a reason we cannot venture in, it may be something even our powers cannot hold." Her voice had changed now from anger to a more worried tone._

_The man stood in front of her gripped her hands and pulled her towards him in a tight embrace._

"_I love you too but you must not worry so much, I have to know. If it is something dangerous we must know." He whispered into her ear, "I must protect you Ellena"_

Aki, he had been so loving and kind back then. Ellena could still picture him clearly in her mind. His fiery red hair was tied at the nape of his neck and hung down to his elbows. He was strong and muscular and stood at 6 feet tall. Tattooed over his body were markings similar to those that covered Ellena's skin. They were the marks of the elemental masters. He was wearing a maroon robe that stretched down to the floor, the sleeves stopped halfway down his forearm and were embroidered with amber beads. Ellena looked just as she did now her hair long enough to touch the ground, her fair skin. The only thing different was her eyes, back then her eyes had been blue a crystal like icy blue.

"_Aki, Ellena, where are you?" two more voices called from the distance._

_Aki closed his eyes and holding tightly to Ellena they both disappeared in a dancing cone of fire, quickly reappearing next to two startled people._

"_Every time you do that you make me jump" said one of them._

"_Sorry Meroko but it is the fastest way to travel!" said Aki grinning._

Meroko she was my best friend back then. The elemental master of earth I suppose who many would call mother nature. She had tanned skin her hair was cut short and framed her face it was a leaf green colour, she was more muscular than me and stronger too but no strong enough, thought Ellena. She also had the markings covering her skin. She wore a short green dress similar to Ellenas but hers fell past her knees. The light material quivered in the wind making her look as if she was to begin floating..

"_Meroko! You hippocrite what about the time you appeared out of the ground when I was bathing in the lake!" cried the man she was standing next to._

"_That was misdirection, I was aiming for the nearby forest and I missed I was still getting used to my abilities back then and don't say you didn't want me to come in and join you, Lahar!" said Meroko wagging her finger at him._

"_You did come in and join me!"_

_Ellena and Aki looked at each other rolling their eyes. Meroko and Lahar were in love no doubt about it but their childish attitudes often got them in trouble with Aki who was the leader of the four._

Lahar was the master of the air his pure white hair was as long as Aki's but it hung loose. He was the shortest of the group although only just shorter than Meroko and he wore the same robe as Aki but his was a deep blue colour and the beads were made of Turquoise. He always had a short temper and him and Meroko argued a lot of the time, Ellena remembered with a smile. Yes, he was much different from Aki, Aki was a very serious person a lot of the time and he always managed to stay calm whatever happened, but there was something else, something he longed for. Ellena had seen it in his eyes before and she saw it that day too.

_They all lived in a network of caves. The entrance was along a steep cliff path above a valley. The inside was dark but it was lit along the way with small balls of fire that lasted for an eternity, put their by Aki to light the way._

"_So where's Lahar then?"_

"_Oh I left him sleeping in his chamber" replied Meroko._

"_I have something to tell you, Meroko" said Ellena in a whisper, "and you cannot mention anything to the others until I have told them, in fact I am telling Aki as soon as he gets back"_

"_Well what is it?"_

"_I am carrying Aki's child"_

"_ELLENA!" squealed Meroko as she hugged her friend tightly._

"_Shhhhhhh!"_

"_Oh yeah!"_

_Ellena and Meroko talked some more and eventually Meroko headed back to her chamber for the night. Ellena stood at the entrance to the cave and wondered where Aki had gotten too. The cool breeze caught her hair and it flicked about her as if it were alive._

_Meroko and Lahar both woke up with a start as the earth began to quake beneath them. They stumbled out of their chambers clinging to the walls. The balls of fire began to brightly. Ellena clung to the cliff edge and watched as a great tower of light shot from the forest in the distance send a shockwave across the land and slamming Ellena back into the wall. Meroko and Lahar helped her to her feet._

"_I CAN'T STOP IT, THE POWER IS BEYOND MINE SOMETHING BEYOND MY CONTROL IS CAUSING THE EARTH TO SHAKE!" cried Ellena over the sound of the earth cracking beneath them. "STAY HERE ELLENA. LAHAR AND I WILL TAKE A LOOK AT THE SOURCE OF ALL THIS. IT MUST BE SOMETHING TO DO WITH THAT LIGHT OVER THERE. YOU NEED TO PROTECT IT"_

_Lahar looked at Meroko in confusion but Ellena nodded knowing that Meroko wanted her to protect her baby. Then Lahar and Meroko sank into the ground(one of Meroko's abilities) to see what was happening. Ellena looked out at the light and it suddenly dawned on her, she gasped and got to her feet. She had to stop him. She disappeared within a tower of water quickly reappearing in the clearing where the light was coming from. Stood on a stone platform in the middle of the clearing was Aki, his hands held up in the air. He was stood in the middle of the light beam and it did not appear to harm him. Ellena gasped when she saw the crumpled bodies of Meroko and Lahar at the foot of the platform._

"_ELLENA. JOIN ME, I HAVE GAINED THE ULTIMATE POWER I CAN FEEL IT SURGING THROUGH ME, FILLING EVERY CELL IN MY BODY." _

_Aki looked at her, a wild glint of madness in his eyes._

"_AKI, COME DOWN NOW, PLEASE LET'S JUST GO HOME, I HAVE SOMETHING IMPORTANT TO TELL YOU, PLEASE" _

_Tears formed in Ellena's eyes as Aki looked at her._

"_ELLENA WITH ALL THIS POWER WE WON'T JUST TAKE CARE OF THIS WORLD. WE WILL RULE IT, YOU AND ME!"_

"_AKI, DON'T YOU SEE, YOU HAVE BEEN CORRUPTED, THIS POWER YOU ARE GAINING WILL DETROY EVERYTHING. IT ALREADY IS. PLEASE LEAVE IT BE"_

"_NEVER. IF YOU WON'T JOIN ME THEN YOU WILL PERISH LIKE THE OTHERS."_

_Aki's body began to change he began to look like a monster. His skin turned red, the markings white. The whole shape of his body altered. Ellena looked on in horror, knowing it was too late to stop him now. The light around him faded and the earth became still again._

"_LOOK AT ME ELLENA, CAN'T YOU SEE THE POWER. LOOK AT ME, I AM NOW THE VERY SPIRIT OF FIRE"_

_Ellena stared and realised their was only one thing she could do to save the world. She lifted herself up with her powers to face him. His form had become gigantic and she was almost twenty feet in the air when she could finally look into her face._

"_I am sorry to have to do this but I must protect the world... I love you Aki" _

_Tears began to stream down her face as she summoned all her strength._

"_Aki before I do this... I am carrying your baby Aki"_

_Her eyes turned completely black and she let out a cry of pain as her body released all its energy at once creating an earth crushing torrent that engulfed her and Aki killing them both instantly._

A tear rolled down Ellena's face as she remembered all that had happened that night so long ago. She placed a hand to her stomach and weeped.

This has all been a well kept secret throughout time. The one who sent us their, he changed the truth to protect me. The stories Adam and Eve and the forbidden apple, and the flood was all the twisted truth of that night.

_A/N: I must apologize if I have offended anyone with this please (all the religious stuff) remember it's just fiction. yay the chapters are actually getting longer i reckon_


	8. Early one morning

Well I had a review about the weirdness of the last chappie so for those who don't understand here is a simple rundown of what happened

**The last chapter was set at the very beginning of time. It told the story of how Ellena knew the Spirit of Fire from long ago he used to be called Aki but was corrupted by power and killed their two friends when they refused to join him. Each one of the four had power over the four elements in order to protect the earth. Ellena had just become pregnant with Aki's baby and when she realised that he had basically become evil she did an extremely selfless thing to preserve the future of the earth and she released all her power in one blast killing Aki, herself and of course her unborn child. The process of her releasing her energy so fast randomly turned her eyes completely black and that's why they are like that now.**

**A/N: Although I said Tohru was a teenager I never actually mentioned her age. Tohru had her Seventeenth birthday and Hao/ yoh etc are bit older than in the series. Hao and Yoh are 17going on 18.**

_Disclaimer: I do not own Shaman King. If I had a lot of money then I would probably own lots of anime but I am almost completely broke so no luck there._

Tohru sat on the ledge draping her legs over the edge. It was a dangerous position to relax in as the cliff extended more than a hundred feet below her coming to a halt at the base of a dry river canyon that trailed off to the north, dividing the region in two.

She smiled drowsily and lifted her head upwards closing her eyes and basking in the morning sunlight. Ellena had wandered off again so Tohru had to wait for her to return. She lay back on the dusty ground, her feet still dangling over the edge and began to hum softly to herself. Her clothing had become tattered as it was all she had to wear. She had a dark blue skirt that reached to just below her knee. It was made of a material similar to veil material, it was extremely light almost as if it could float. It was embroidered around the bottom with cherry blossoms a pattern that Rosetta, Tohru's mother had stitched herself. She wore a loose white shirt made of an thick material The sleeves were too long and so Tohru had them rolled up just above her elbows. The only other piece of clothing she had was a Black Trench coat one of her friends had given her a year go. This too was embroidered around the cuffs and the collar with pastel pink cherry blossoms. Tohru's shoes were chunky hiking boots, battered and worn from all the walking.

All in all Tohru's outfit was a mismatch. After she had found her family and gathered together a few belongings she had changed out of the clothes she was wearing and put on what she wore now. She had packed other clothes but they were stolen within the first few days of her journey leaving her with nothing but clean underwear to change into. Luckily she had hidden her more precious belongings (all the mementos in her backpack) so those hadn't been taken.

Tohru tugged at her shirt to straighten it out. She shirt was now worn and had numerous holes in it. It was the same with the skirt. The hundreds of miles she had walked in the last month had been accompanied by trips, falls and numerous run ins with Shamans. Her skin strangely, had remained pale even though she had been trekking under the sun. Although she had acquired a healthy glow there was no tan no burns. She imagined it had something to do with the fact that she was pretty well covered with the clothes she was wearing.

"Why oh why didn't I pack more clothes or more money to buy clothes. Do I have to suffer any more? Knowing my luck that weird guy is going to appear again and start blabbing on about having use for me."

Tohru began talking quietly to herself as she lay there.

"Blah, blah, blah... I wonder what use he could have for me"

Tohru raised her eyebrows but kept her eyes closed as a thought popped into her head. "Maybe he wants me for sex!"

Tohru's blood began to boil,

"If he tries anything funny I'll...I'll... Well I don't know what I'd do but it would not be pretty."

She smiled at the thought of putting him in his place.

"He was quite cute though., but arrogant." Tohru said to herself, "Maybe arrogant is O.K. He was very cute. But if he tries anything funny that won't stop me from causing him damage. Hmmmm...very cute"

"Cute you say, well I would prefer something less fuzzy when referring to my appearance but it was a compliment nonetheless."

Tohru shot up to find Hao sitting beside her resting back on his elbows with a VERY smug look on his face. The blood rushed to her cheeks and she felt herself blushing. She turned a way from him to hide it.

"H-how long were you sitting there, y-you have no right to sneak up on me like that." Her voice quavered and tears stung her eyes from the sheer embarrassment.

"Long enough, you shouldn't cry like that. I thought you were a strong Shaman stop blubbering like a baby and look at me."

He grabbed her shoulder roughly and twisted her round to face him. Tohru had buried her face in her hands to try and hide her reddened face. She growled as he twisted her round and looked straight at him. A tear rolled silently down her cheek.

"You cry a lot don't you" Hao stated.

"How would you know?" hissed Tohru through gritted teeth

"I've been watching you"

Tohru stood and walked away from him she couldn't take any more. If he had been watching her then maybe he had watched her bathing, or changing she thought. It was more embarrassment than she could stand.

"Hey, you can't go anywhere" Hao called out calmly to her.

"AND WHY NOT?" she shouted back.

"Because you have to wait for that guardian Ghost of yours to return."

"Oh yeah" she mumbled. She turned around to head back to where she had been sitting.

"You know you're about to be attacked and you have no way to defend yourself" Hao stated.

Tohru's breath caught in her throat and her eyes darted around the canyon as she tried to see what Hao was referring too. She couldn't see anything but she knew deep down that he wasn't lying. There had to be someone there.

"I can protect you. Just say the word" Hao looked at her smiling, he already knew what the answer would be.

"I don't need your help, I can protect myself" Tohru said viciously as she removed her chain from around her waist.

"Without your guardian ghost what use is that? Remember, just say the word and I can jump to you rescue"

"I'll find a way to protect myself. I don't need your help."

Everything around was silent Tohru knew what was coming. She heard the sound of rushing air behind her and whirled around, crouching at the same time. An arrow surrounded by a purple flame rushed past her left ear. She jumped up and dived for cover buy a nearby rock but stopped dead as the rock was shattered by another arrow.

"GIVE IT UP WOMAN. MAKURA TOMA WANTS YOUR FURIYOKU. SURRENDER NOW." A booming voice echoed against the rocks.

Oh god. Toma . Thought Tohru where is Ellena. How can she abandon me at a time like this.

"WONDERING WHERE YOUR GUARDIAN GHOST IS? WE' VE BEEN BUSY YOU KNOW. BOSS GAVE US A WONDERFUL LITTLE DEVICE THAT KEEPS YOUR PRECIOUS ELLENA IN CHECK. WANT TO SAY HELLO?"

"TOHRU RUUUN! SAVE YOURSELF. GET TO DOBI VILLAGE." Ellenas screams echoed around her.

"WHERE ARE YOU, ELLENA, I AM NOT LEAVING YOU. WHERE ARE YOU, YOU BASTARDS" the last word that escaped her mouth shocked her into silence, Tohru hardly ever swore.

There was the sound of rushing air again but Tohru didn't turn around in time. The arrow made contact with her shoulder, piercing through her skin easily and driving through her shoulder blade. Tohru dropped to the ground as it came to a stop. The arrow had passed through all her body and was now sticking out on both sides of her shoulder. The blood began to poor out of the wound. The shirt she was wearing quickly soaked up the red liquid becoming sodden. She screamed out in pain and clutched her shoulder, her eyes squeezed shut. The men knew she would be of no further threat and waited for her to die Ellena struggled to get free, crying out to Tohru as she did. Tohru lay down on the ground and clawed at the dirt, groaning as the pain engulfed her body. She grew weaker as the blood spilled out of her forming a pool on the ground underneath her. Her head began to spin and her vision blurred. She thought she saw someone standing over her. This is the end she thought as her whole body became limp and everything went black.

I would like some reviews, I like reviews. Reviews are good. They encourage me to write more chapters instead of doing important exam revision.


	9. A big announcement

BIG MASSIVE AUTHOR ALERT!

Ok I have yieldeddue to popular demand I have changed ALL the chapters so that Zeke has mystically transformed into Hao so there you go everyone. I have to agree that Zeke DOES sound like the name of a pokemon but then again the name Hao sounds like a greeting so he suffers either way...

Anyway I hope to update with a real chapter soon but I also have coursework to do and revision and I have to work to earn money... so I will update as soon as is humanely possible.


	10. Blushing like a girl

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Wow! I have had reviews (yay) I have to thank you all for taking the time!_

_Godoflight – I am glad you like it. I love getting really positive reviews. You can find out whether it is Hao or not!_

_Andrea Nefisto – Aww how can I resist the puppy dog look if only for that I have gotten my ass into gear to update! I'd love to see Shaman King in Spanish I didn't realise it was only in the English version that they used Zeke it's stupid changing the names, do they think we won't be able to pronounce Hao or Manta!_

_Pendulum-swing – doesn't matter what you put! Knowing you read my story is good enough. I love knowing that peeps all over the world are reading something that I wrote!_

_God'sChildX—I hope I have managed to clear up all the confusing stuff I wrote. It all makes sense in my deluded mind cuz I know what will happen later on but I forget that know one else can read my mind so half of it never makes sense. I'll try to be clearer from now on!_

_Angelic Gemini—I am trying my hardest to write longer chapters but I am totally hopeless. Luckily I am getting better. Some chapters take up as much as 4 pages of MS word, unfortunately that's measly compared to the length of the chapters that most people manage to write! I'm glad you love the story I think people misjudge Hao, although watching some knew episodes on Jetix recently I was horrified to see he's going on a killing rampage although I was glad to see Iron Maiden Jeanne going up in flames thanks to him(she annoys me a lot)_

_Miss Lovely- I am so glad you like my story it gives me a warm fuzzy feeling inside knowing someone likes it.!_

_Torri-Chiobie – Wow out of all the shaman king fanfics you could have read first you chose mine. I feel really honoured :) _

_Waterose – I know. Whatever people think he must have human emotions. I mean he gets angry so he must get sad sometimes especially when she hasn't done anything to deserve getting killed by him. Who knows maybe he will be so overcome with emotion that he won't ask her to give her furiyoku? Probably not!_

_Sapphire Crystal Aurora Angel__ – I'm glad you liked the description I've never been very good at that sort of thing so I'm glad you appreciate the effort._

_Tsuki no Hoshi- Well I hope each update is to your approval. I have managed to continue on with the story and will be doing so for a while._

_Winner loser- Thank you for the advice. I didn't want to follow it at first but I can't deny what everyone wants!_

_White spirit Angel –my wonderful angel. You were the first to review my story. Thank you. If it wasn't for you I probably wouldn't have managed to continue._

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The smell of smoke invaded Tohru's as she came to hours later. She slowly opened her eyes to look around there was a bright light and her vision was blurred. Continuing to try and adjust her eyes proved to be painful so she closed them again and listened to her surroundings instead. She determined it was still the daytime and she was lying outside. Tohru could here the sound of men and women talking and there seemed to be quite few. Women? Then she can't be with Toma, she thought. He hates women there would never be women working for him. She began to remember the events of earlier in the day, although they were still somewhat blurred. She had been talking to someone when she was attacked by Tomas men. Then she felt a lot of pain and everything went black. Her brow furrowed in frustration as she tried to remember more detail. Someone had been standing over her when she fell unconscious and she realised it couldn't be Toma's men. So it had to be whoever she was talking to. HIM! It was the arrogant guy, so she must be with whichever group he travelled with. Tohru opened her eyes again, this time finding it easier as it appeared someone had placed something over her to block out the sun. She adjusted her eyes and looked around. Her eyes fell on what she was resting; she appeared to be lying on blankets and was covered in them as well. She propped herself up to get a better view of the are only to fall back down again in pain she suddenly remembered the arrow and put her hand to her shoulder. It had been bandaged properly and wasn't bleeding anymore. Tohru used her other arm and managed to stand although she still felt dizzy and light headed from the loss of blood. People glanced over at her and went back to their conversations. There were about 20 or so Shaman, most of them were men although there was a small group of girls who looked about Tohru's age. Everyone was sat by there tents talking and the tents all formed a ring around a large fire in the middle. Opatcho hopped over and looked up at her beaming from ear to ear. Tohru looked down at him and smiled back, glad to be greeted by such a friendly face.

"I am glad you're awake. You lost a lot of blood even after you were bandaged and the bleeding stopped we were worried. You still seemed very wake but you look a lot better now. My name is Hanehaku Opatcho but you can call me Opatcho."

Tohru looked at him for a moment before replying "My name's Tohru Komayaka but you can call me Tohru, thank you for looking after me. You're one of the first people that have been kind to me in a long time."

"Since your families' death?" asked Opatcho.

"Yes, but err... how did you know about that"

"Well for a start you had a bit of a fever earlier and kept muttering all about it... Any way you must be hungry. I cooked you some in case you woke up I hope you like your food barbecued! Follow me" Opatcho hopped in the direction of the fire.

Tohru followed him and sat down on a log staring at the flames.

"Tohru you awake!" screamed someone in the distance. In no time at all Ellena was next to her, tears streaming down her cheeks

"Ellena, I was so worried about you" said Tohru weakly. Ellena sat down beside her as Opatcho handed Tohru handed her some meat.

"I know you can't use one arm at the moment but we have someone that can heal it completely in no time at all but it was too dangerous while you were unconscious" said Opatcho cheerfully

"Thank you" Tohru ate the meat quickly, she had not realised how hungry she was. "Could I have some more?"

After eating her way through about three times as much as anyone would normally eat she discovered she was still very weak and asked if she could go back to sleep again. She woke early the next morning and decided to explore her surroundings for a little while. Everyone was still asleep so she crept quietly past the tents and walked barefoot into the woods they were camped near. She had been walking for about 10 minutes when she came to a cliff edge. Feeling worn out from the walk as she had still not recovered her strength she sat down and watched as the sun began to rise on the horizon. Her hair was dirty and so was the rest of her body. Dust, mud and sweat clung to her skin

"I have to have a bath" she muttered to herself.

As if answering her she heard the sound of running water in the distance. She walked towards it and discovered a large lake complete with dangerous looking 20ft waterfall to keep the water in the lake clean. Tohru was surprised at her luck but nonetheless glad to have found something so convenient. She glanced around to make sure she was alone and then removed all her clothing. The water was cold but refreshing as Tohru stepped carefully into the lake. She walked out until her waist was submerged in the water and then ducked under the water to get her hair wet. The water stung her wound but having a wash felt nice. She swam around for a while until her legs began to get tired then she scrubbed herself clean using a handkerchief she had with her.

Hao was walking through the woods. He hadn't been able to sleep again thoughts of dying again passed through his mind and kept him from having a peaceful night so he had woken up and gone in search of somewhere to sit and think. He came across a clearing and looked down at his feet to see a pile of clothes.

"Shit!" he muttered to himself as he realised he had just intruded on one of the girls bathing. He looked down again "SHIT" he said again as he realised they were Tohru's blood stained clothes. He backed away from the waters edge hoping that wherever she was she hadn't seen him when she rose from underneath the water. Hao froze on the spot and felt his cheeks burning as he stared at her naked body. Tohru had her back turned to him and her white hair clung to her back, it appeared even longer when wet.

"This is stupid, I am the most powerful person on the planet and I'm blushing like a girl" he muttered to himself again.

Thinking she heard a voice Tohru turned around to see who it was but there was no one there. Thinking she must have imagined it Tohru got out of the water and put her clothes back on. She wandered back to where the group was camped as everyone was waking up. Opatcho hopped over to her.

"How are you this morning? I see you found the lake, don't get cold though go sit close to the fire" he said as he noticed she was soaking wet.

" I'm OK, umm do you need any help with anything" Asked Tohru as she sat down on the log she had sat on the night before.

"No, no, no. You can't help us yet. First we have to get you healed. Stay here a minute while I get Darwin." Said Opatcho as he hopped over to one of the tents.

Tohru turned around to see Ellena behind her. They began talking and Ellena asked how she was feeling. Tohru explained she was cold, hungry and her shoulder still felt extremely painful but she was glad her life had been saved.

"Tohru, This is Darwin he can heal you, his guardian ghost was an African witch doctor!" cried Opatcho as he arrived back at the fire and sat next to Tohru on the log. A tall lanky man joined them he was dressed all in black and had large black boots on his feet. His hair was also black and came down to his shoulders on one side, the other side had been shaved clean. He smiled at her and he crouched down next to her. He put his hands on her shoulder.

" I need you to take off your shirt so I can remove the bandage."

Tohru's face went bright red but she kept quiet and undid her shirt halfway down then removed her arm from the sleeve holding the shirt bunched up into her other hand to keep herself covered. Darwin removed her bandages carefully, Tohru flinched in pain. Then Darwin used his guardian ghost to heal her wounds completely. She rolled her shoulder around hardly believing she couldn't feel any pain. Darwin sat the with a smug look on his face. She ran her hand over the place where the arrow had gone in on her back. All that was left was a small scar.

Hao came out of the woods and looked around at his followers who had all woken up. He glanced over at the fire and had to fight back another blush when he saw Tohru with her back to him sitting there seemingly half undressed caressing her pale skin. He composed himself and walked over silently to stand behind her. Not noticing him Tohru did her shirt up again and flung her arms around Darwin.

"Thank you so much" she said as she began to cry with happiness.

"Opatcho has any food been made yet" said Hao.

"Yes, Master Hao, I made some just moments ago. I will get it now." Said Opatcho, bowing slightly.

Tohru looked up at the boy standing behind her and watched as he stepped over the log and sat down beside her. She fiddled with the hem of her torn shirt trying to think of the best way to thank him and apologise. Opatcho handed her some breakfast. Tohru turned her head to see Hao already eating so she ate hers as well. When she had finished she resumed her nervous fiddling. Tohru opened her mouth to say something when the three girls she had seen the other day came up to her and dragged her away to talk. She decided to talk to him later.

Soooooo...how did you like the chapter. Let me know. FEED THE REVIEW MONSTER. HE'S GETTING HUNGRY.


	11. Losing her freedom

Well yet another update! How do I manage it?

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Angelic Gemini – Ahhh so you're a fellow Britton. I know. They do that all the time – two new episodes then jump back like 30episodes . The last time they did that I went crazy chucked a bunch of stuff at the TV!

Andrea Nefisto – You're about to find out why they took her. I haven't seen Bad Boyz 2 I'll have to make a point of checking it out.

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Disclaimer/sobs/ I don't own Shaman King

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"So then Tammy was all like trying to kill me and I have like no idea why I mean I only told her that she had like no hope of winning the Shaman tournament. I mean like Master Hao is so totally gonna be Shaman king" burbled one of the girls as if her life depended on it her orange hair bouncing as she talked.

The other two nodded in agreement and Tohru sat quietly and smiled not really knowing how to respond. She'd never heard anyone talk so fast.

They all sat outside the girls tents as everyone else in the camp began random tasks that had been set out for them during the day.

"So you must be Tohru it's totally awesome to meet you. I'm Matti, the blonde is Mari and this blue haired one is Kanna she's the leader of our particular group. We've heard a lot about you and how you're gonna ..."

Matti stopped abruptly as she was hit on the head by Opatcho who had appeared behind her.

"Ooooo yeah sorry" she said

Tohru looked at the two slightly confused at what they were talking about.

"What I was trying to say was that you're gonna head to err... Dobi Village. You're gonna come with our group right. "She said to Tohru, looking expectantly.

"Errr... well yeah I suppose so" mumbled Tohru overwhelmed by the Hospitality she was being shown by complete strangers.

"Well that is like soo awesome and we like also went and got you these yesterday cuz we were told to cuz like apparently those are the only clothes you have."

"Yeah these are the only clothes I have but you didn't have to get anything for me I..."

"Nonsense. You have to look the part if you're travelling with us, right girls?" said Kanna with a rather more subdued voice than the others.

"Yeah" said Mari and Matti in unison

Mari got a large brown parcel from the inside of there black tent and handed it to Tohru. Tohru began to untie the brown twining that bound it together.

"There was a sale so you have a lot of stuff...aaaaand...here" said Mari as she handed Tohru another parcel

As Tohru opened the parcel she gasped.

"The only thing we didn't buy was shoes because they didn't have anything practical even though we found like the most amazing shoes with these kitten heels...but you can't walk in them so we didn't buy them."

Tohru held up each piece of clothing they had bought in turn. The first was a pale blue cotton slip dress with thin straps that flared out from the waist. It reached down to her knees. The next was a cotton skirt that stretched down to her ankles and had a slit up either side to her knees. This was also in a light blue although the colour was more vibrant than the last.

"We got most of the stuff in like cotton and like light materials cuz like it's really hot here isn't it." Said Mari

The rest of the clothes were similar in different pastel shades although there was luckily no pink. They had bought her three dresses of slightly different styles as well as three tops and matching skirts. There were also shirts for colder days and the night time as well as a load of underwear.

"We heard you already had a really nice black trench coat so we didn't get you any of them" exclaimed Matti.

There were also a lot of hair accessories in a small bag such as ribbons clips and pins. Tohru began to sob.

"Thank you so much" she cried.

"Awwwwwwww" They all gave her a hug.

Tohru opened up the second parcel to find a large black rucksack made from a thick material.

"You can put all your things in that. It's a lot bigger than your other one."

Tohru burst out into fresh tears and got another hug from the girls.

"You know it wasn't our money. Master Hao was the one who sent us to get you some clothes although we went a bit over budget and used our own money as well" Matti whispered in her ear.

"S-so is that Hao." Asked Tohru as she pointed to Hao, still sat on the log.

"Yeah. Except you should call him Master Hao if you're travelling with us."

"Master?"

"Yeah."

"OK."

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Hao got up and wandered back into the woods having eaten some food. He made his way to the spot where Tohru had sat and watched the sun rise that morning and sat down himself, the wind whipping through his hair.

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Tohru was changed into the blue slip dress and pinned her hair back on one side of her face. She stood barefoot examining herself as best she could without a mirror. Opatcho hopped over to her holding her chain.

"Here is your chain" he said as he handed it to her.

She smiled and wrapped it around her waist.

"This is also for you" he said opening up his right hand to reveal a small bracelet made from wooden beads, "I made it myself"

Tohru put it on and admired it hanging around her wrist. Then she bent down and hugged him causing Opatcho to blush profusely.

Tohru sat down on the blankets she had been sleeping on to sort out all the clothes she had acquired and packing them into her new bag along with her old clothes she couldn't bare to part with and her box full of keepsakes.

"You wouldn't happen to know where H- I mean your Master Hao is would you Opatcho?" she asked him

"Master Hao went into the woods a while ago and if you are travelling with us then he is your Master as well."

"Why exactly do you all call him Master anyway" asked Tohru

"Because Master Hao is the most powerful Shaman in the world"

"Ooook" Tohru said, not quite sure if she could believe that a seventeen year old boy was the most powerful Shaman.

"So he went that way. Thank you!" She yelled back to Opatcho as she made her way into the woods.

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Not knowing where to look first she decided to wander to where she had sat that morning. Her heart was heavy as she began to realise just what she was about to do. Tohru stopped abruptly as she saw Hao sitting in front of her, back turned.

"Ummm..Hao could I err speak with you for a moment."

He said nothing but motioned for her to sit next to him.

"Right umm... well first I wanted to thank you for letting me stay here and the err clothes" Tohru began to fiddle nervously with the hem of her dress, "And I umm... wanted to also thank you for saving my life"

"Ummmm... well this is a matter of honour so I'll get it over with. I was taught that when someone saves your life then you serve them until the debt is repaid so in accordance with this and me being completely indebted to you I must obey your every command until I have either saved your life or given my own to you."

Tohru bowed her head in respect trying to stop herself from crying at the fact she had just given up her freedom but she remembered her family and how proud they would have been and the honour this would have brought them. Hao turned to look at her. He tilted his head to the side and looked at her.

"You're not like the others"

"Huh"

"Don't worry I'll tell you later."

"I suppose if you are travelling with us then you should refer to me as Master Hao especially with this whole serving me till you repay your debt type thing you have going on and I expect the utmost respect"

"Oh, OK then Master Hao" Tohru replied lifting her head again to sit up straight facing him.

"There are also a few things I must clear up now and some that I will leave for later. You will not talk to other Shaman from outside our group."

_I can't have her meeting my brother or those damned X laws at the moment he thought to himself._

"I have killed that old man Toma and every one of his pathetic followers that were chasing you so there is no need to worry about them anymore. Stay close to Opatcho at all times, he can help you out with anything you need. In fact now that we're at it I don't wish to have you straying off from the group at all, like you did this morning understood? Also...can you cook?"

"Err...yes Master Hao" she replied

"Good then you will prepare the meals and with your guardian ghost you will come in handy should we run short of water."

"So, is that what you meant when you said I would be useful?"

"No, but that is more talk for later."

Hao was fully aware of the way in which she would react to his reasons for becoming Shaman King at this point and he needed to gain her trust first so he had instructed everyone in the group from talking about it.

Tohru sat there watching him. He was arrogant and obviously egotistical with all these followers but he must have some good qualities she thought to herself, and as long as I am stuck with him I may as well make the most of it and try and focus on those good qualities... whatever they are. She began to smile as she got herself into a more positive frame of mind.

"Now you had better head back to camp and help Opatcho make lunch"

"Err...right...I mean yes Master Hao.


	12. Meeting the Family

Disclaimer: I do not own Shaman King

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Jenn: I know isn't the cutest!

Andrea Nefisto: I know exactly what you mean. Can't say I'd mind havin to stay with him eitha :-) Yeah the Hanagumi's are the best. I hope I got there names right it was really hard to remember because it's been so long since I've actually seen them!

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Check out my scribble of Tohru by going on my profile and clicking on the link to my MSN group. From there click on the "My fan fictions" link and it'll take you to my piccie of her.!

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Ellena watched as Tohru emerged from the woods and headed towards Opatcho. She knew exactly what Tohru had done, remembering the brief conversation they had had the night before.

* * *

_Flashback_

"_Ellena it's up to you whether you want to stay or not but I must do it for mine and my families honour."_

"_Tohru you already know my answer. I have served your family for generations and I do not intend to stop now. Anyway this Hao person appears to be quite attractive by your standards, eh?"_

"_I have no idea what you're talking about Ellena. Attractive? No way. This is just an honour thing, OK?"_

"_Uh huh" said Ellena sarcastically._

"_Stop being so immature. It's not like that at all, now be quiet. I have to sleep!"

* * *

_

She made her way to Tohru to ask how it all went.

"It went OK. He gave me some rules for staying in the group. I'm not sure he trusts me yet. Though I'm sure that will change if he gets to know me."

"Well tell me," said Ellena, "Do you not find him in the least bit attractive?"

Tohru chucked the stick she had been about to use to skewer a line of sausages in Ellena's direction and it would have hit if she hadn't disappeared and reappeared sitting beside Tohru.

"I hate it when you do that." Tohru said as she proceeded to skewer the sausages using a newly acquired stick. She looked around to see if there was anyone nearby "I will admit he is somewhat attractive...however I am also aware that I am not in any position to be thinking about him in that way if he knew I thought that he was attractive it would just inflate his ego. I owe him my life and so must serve him until that debt has been repaid and right now everyone needs to eat so I am making them food.

"Tohru we're like heading to the town nearby. It's like twenty miles in that direction. Wanna come?"

"Oh Mari Hi, I'm really sorry but H- I mean Master Hao said I wasn't to leave camp for some reason"

"He said that? Oh well I suppose you can't come then. We'll bring you back something nice OK. Well see you later. Bye"

Mari, Kanna and Matti grabbed some food Tohru had cooked for them before they left then set off in the direction Mari had pointed in earlier.

"Ummm... I've made food if anyone's hungry" Tohru called out to the remaining members of the group.

There was a sudden rush as they all clambered for the food she had been cooking.

"Line up and everyone will get some" Tohru ordered them in her most commanding tone of voice.

She was surprised to see them all obeying and forming a neat line in front of her. She proceeded to serve each of them in turn until everyone was sat near the fire eating. She gave some to Opatcho and put some rice in a bowl for herself then sat down and ate. Everyone was relatively silent which she hoped was a sign they were enjoying their food. Tohru looked around at everyone eating and realised that apart from Kanna, Mari and Matti she was the only girl in the group.

"Opatcho, is everyone in the group a really strong Shaman?"

Opatcho looked up from his food and answered her question in his ever cheerful way.

"Of course. Master Hao doesn't ask just any Shaman to join the group."

"Well why does everyone talk about him being Shaman king. I mean surely everyone here wants to be?"

"Everyone here believes in the reason why he wants to become Shaman King and so they all serve him loyally. Anyway no-one here is any match for him"

* * *

The rest of the group began to finish their food.

"Does anyone want any more" asked Tohru. She couldn't help but smile when she saw the looks on their faces.

Everyone was obviously full and none of them looked like they wanted to move. Tohru stood up and went around collecting all their plates and bowls. One of them came up to her. Took her hand and kissed it.

"That was the best meal I have ever had." He said

He was followed by almost everyone there hugging her and telling her how delicious the meal was. She stood there stunned and slightly embarrassed. These people genuinely seem to like me. I think I might have found some good friends here. And if they're loyal to Master Hao then they must be loyal to their friends as well.

"Opatcho I noticed that Master Hao wasn't here during the meal. Do you think I should take him something to eat?"

"Maybe that would be a good idea. Here" Opatcho handed her a bowl filled with rice and meat.

Tohru walked back into the woods. With nothing on her feet she moved noiselessly. A skill her mother had taught her, however Hao knew she was on her way. She reached the cliff edge to find him still sitting silently. He appeared to be watching something in the deep gorge below.

"Master Hao I brought you some food" Tohru whispered fearing that if she spoke any louder she would disturb the peacefulness of the area.

She knelt next to him and placed the bowl in front of him. He picked it up and silently ate it still keeping an eye on what he was watching. Tohru peered carefully over the edge to see what he was looking at. She could see a group of people around her age.

"Master Hao. Who exactly are these people?" Tohru asked, breaking the silence once again.

"Most of them are nobodies but he..." said Hao as he pointed at one of them that appeared to be sleeping, "is an important part of my becoming Shaman King. Entertaining isn't it? Watching them scurry about like ants. It's even better when you get closer. Listening to their arguments and they never know you're there watching them."

He spent all this time watching me as well how odd she thought to herself.

"Is this all you do? Watch people doing nothing" she asked

"Well like I said it is very interesting. Anyway..." Hao said as he stood up, "I'm going closer. Do you want to come?"

He flashed her smile that reminded her of a very cute little puppy dog. She stared at him momentarily wondering why on earth she was reminded of a puppy dog.

"If you come with me you must remain silent unless I tell you otherwise. We don't need them seeing us."

"Umm... OK" Tohru replied as she stood up.

As soon as she was standing he wrapped one arm around her waist and pulled her tight to his chest then stepped off the cliff. Tohru gasped as she felt herself plummeting through the air and grabbed hold of Hao's wrap. He looked at her clinging to him with her eyes tight shut.

"I'm not going to drop you. If you hadn't noticed we're falling extremely slowly" he said to her.

She opened her eyes and realised he was telling the truth. After the initial drop they had apparently slowed and were now almost floating. She began to actually enjoy the feeling as the wind rushed all around her. They came to a stop on a ledge almost 100 feet from where they had been sitting. Tohru took a deep breath and looked down at the group who were now a lot closer. She then looked back at Hao and realised she was still clinging to him and his hand was still wrapped around her. She quickly let go and turned away from him to hide herself blushing. He loosened his grip to allow her to get away then he sat down on the ledge. Tohru followed his actions and sat down as well.

"You see very entertaining" Hao whispered.

"Yeah it is. Hey that boy you pointed at earlier looks just like you" Tohru whispered in reply her gaze still fixed on the group below.

"That is because we are two halves of a whole. He is my twin. Yoh"

She looked at him wide eyed.

"Your twin!"

"Yes. He is nowhere near as strong as me at the moment but that will change. I need him to be stronger so I keep an eye on his progress."

They continued to watch as the group below argued, fought and talked. It was almost an hour later when they finally began to make their way down the gorge following the dry river bead west until they were out of site.

"Ummm... How exactly do we get back up there?" Tohru asked as she pointed back up the cliff face.

"Easy" Hao replied.

In front of them the Spirit of fire appeared making Tohru jump.

"This is your guardian ghost?"

"Yes. The spirit of fire" Hao replied as he stepped on to his guardian ghosts outstretched hand.

He put out his hand for Tohru to take. She grabbed hold of it and he pulled her up next to him. The next thing she felt was a strange warmth and she found herself standing next to Hao back at the top of the cliff. She picked up the empty bowl.

"Are you coming back to camp Master Hao?" she asked, looking at him.

"Yes"

He turned around and began to walk back through the woods, pausing briefly to allow her to catch up. Tohru followed slightly behind him. They reached camp several minutes later and Tohru was surprised to see Kanna and the others had already arrived back. Hao stood by the fire and clicked his fingers. Tohru watched in wonder as the fire died out almost immediately.

"We're breaking camp. Everyone packed and ready in 10 minutes. We're heading for the West Mountains" He shouted.

There was a sudden bustle of movement as everyone began to pack their things and take down their tents. Opatcho hopped over to Tohru to tell her to pack thing blankets she had been sleeping on and to keep her trench coat and one of her newly acquired shirts ready because the temperature was a extremely different to where they were now and that although they would be safe from the snow with Master Hao they could not escape the cold. Tohru packed up all the blankets and put on a white shirt. She wrapped her chain around her waist and put her trench coat at the top of her new bag. Ellena came over but Tohru was worried about how quiet she was being. Ellena said she would explain later. Mari came over to Tohru.

"Tohru we have like an awesome gift for you, but seeing as we're leaving now and Kanna already packed it away we'll give it to you later."

Once everyone was ready they all grouped together ready to head off. Hao took the lead and everyone followed. Tohru noticed that their pace wasn't rushed and she enjoyed being able to journey with a large group rather than just herself and Ellena.

I hope everyone enjoyed this latest chappie and remember the review monster needs to be fed! Send me your opinions and feed the monster!


	13. Magnolia and smiles

Disclaimer: I do not own shaman king.

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Andrea Nefisto: I'm really glad you took a look at my piccie and I promise you that there will be kissing... But I will not say when!

Aisuhana: It's really great to have so many people liking my story!

Ginnitsune: I'm really glad you like my story. I'm managing to update so much because I'm on holiday at the moment!

Godoflight: well how can I disappoint all of you by leaving it so long!

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They had been travelling for many hours and the light was now fading behind the western mountains. They had reached the foot of the mountain when Hao decided to stop for the night. It had grown much colder and there were even signs of recent snow on the ground. They settled in a large clearing in the dense forest surrounding the base and covering a vast amount of the mountains themselves. Mari gathered a small amount of firewood and with a click of the fingers, Hao set the pile ablaze illuminating the clearing and casting shadows across the frozen ground.

Everyone began to set up there tents around the perimeter of the clearing leaving Tohru feeling quite lonely. Seeing this Opatcho came over and asked her to help set up his tent. She smiled at him then took the poles he was holding and began to help him pitch it. Once that was done she looked around to see if anyone else needed help. Over in one corner she saw Hao tip the components of his tent, all the pegs, poles and canvas on to the ground and give them a look of disdain. Seeing he obviously didn't enjoy this part of the journey she came up to him and offered her assistance.

"Master Hao would you like me to set up your tent for you?"

"OK Tohru set it up and when you're done prepare some food. I'm sure no one including me wants anyone else to cook after the meal you made this lunchtime" he said flashing her another puppy dog smile.

Tohru blushed and tried to busy herself with making Hao's tent.

"I'm not sure the meal was that great but err... thank you for the compliment" She said quietly, looking round at him momentarily.

He smiled at her again and she swiftly turned around in attempt to hide another blush that was creeping onto her cheeks. Hao caught her embarrassment and chuckled softly as he strolled over to sit by the fire. Tohru made quick work of the tent and then began to make everyone dinner. They had limited supplies of food so Tohru decided to make a stew out of some of what was left. By the time she had finished cooking everyone had tried to edge subtly nearer in an attempt to get served first.

"Line up everyone" she called out as she took lifted the pot onto the ground. Hao strolled casually to the front of the line earning grumbles from everyone else. He shot them a look that quickly silenced anyone with complaints and held out his bowl to be served. Tohru quickly looked down at the pot; silently cursing herself for these involuntarily bouts of blushing that seemed to be controlling her since that lunchtime. She ladled some into his bowl and he sat down. After everyone had been served Tohru ladled some into her own bowl and sat down next to Kanna, Matti and Mari who were trying to talk with a mouthful of food. A comforting silence descended on the group as everyone ate. Tohru looked around to see that some people were close to finishing so she put down her bowl and grabbed the pot and ladle again.

"Seconds anyone?"

Those that were close to finishing waved their bowls to get her attention. As more people finished Tohru scurried over to refill their bowls, this continued until everyone had had second and third helpings and there was nothing else left. Tohru cleaned up as everyone settled down for the night. Kanna beckoned Tohru over but she shook her head, remembering that Ellena needed to speak to her.

"I'll come talk to you guys later but Ellena has been anxious to speak to me all day."

She looked over to where Ellena was sitting, looking after Tohru's possessions. Tohru walked over and sat down on a pile of blankets she had taken out of her bag.

"Tell me Ellena, what did you wish to speak about?"

"Tohru, I need to apologise for the way I am always disappearing and explain why." Ellena almost whispered.

"There are five elemental spirits. Earth, air, fire and water as well as the fifth, spirit of spirit otherwise known as the king of spirits. As you know they are the most powerful and I am the spirit of water. At one time I lived with three of the others who were not at that time spirits, Earth, air and fire. The king of spirits was not so much a being at that time, he was merged with the earth and became apart of it. Now when someone merges with him as the new Shaman king will do and has done once every 500 years they gain immeasurable power." Ellena paused and glanced up at the stars.

"I was what you would now call wedded to Aki, who is now the spirit of fire but he had evil in his heart and discovered the power of the king of spirits and tried to take it for his own. He gained some of the power and it changed him into a different form. The people, who are now the spirits of Earth and Air, tried to stop him and died in the process. I managed to stop him but at the cost of my own life and that of my unborn child's. This Hao person you now serve is in control of the spirit of fire and it will take a while for me to adjust to being around him. I disappear off when I think about it. Sometimes I talk to the other two elemental spirits."

"I-I had no idea your past was that sad" Tohru began to sob and buried her face into the blankets she was sitting on.

"Tohru please don't cry, I have a feeling this has all happened for a reason though I will not say why for now" Ellena winked at Tohru and Tohru smiled back.

"Anyway I just need a little time to sort myself out so I wanted to ask you if it would be OK if I made myself scarce for a week. I need to sort out a few things and talk to a few people."

"Of course Ellena. Take longer than a week if you need to. These kind people are looking after me so I won't be in any danger and I can't have you being all distant can I now!"

"Tohru, remember that if you get into trouble I can be back in a flash"

Ellena rested her hand on Tohru's cheek then stood a little distance away and stretched her hands towards the night sky. A twister of water appeared around her and engulfed her causing everyone to turn and see what was going on. Ellena disappeared in the raging tower and as fast as it appeared the twister had gone leaving Tohru and everyone staring at a blank space. Hao watched Tohru, wondering what they had talked about. Toru stood up and walked over to sit down with Kanna, Mari and Matti, everyone else began to busy themselves again, deciding it was best to ignore the power of Tohru's guardian ghost.

"Tohru like now we can give you the gifts we got you!" Mari chirped as Tohru sat down.

Matti was busy trying to stitch black lace around the hem of one of her old dresses but she hugged Tohru when she sat down. Kanna was reading a magazine which she pushed aside to make way for the bag in which she had placed the gifts they had gotten Tohru.

"Guys, you don't have to keep buying me all this stuff"

"Nonsense, we shop because we love to. You're the first girl we've been able to talk to in a long while. No-one else here is remotely interested in fashion. We did ask Master Hao if we wanted to come shopping once but he didn't come. Isn't that right girls?" Kanna said.

They all huddled around the bag. Kanna reached in and pulled out a small bag and handed it to Tohru. Tohru looked at it then hesitantly opened up the top and put her hand inside. Her hands wrapped around a small which she pulled out and brought up to her face to look at. The moment she could see it. She burst out crying again and buried her face in her hands. The tears streamed down her face and collected on the ground. Everyone turned around to see what was going on now and Hao stood up and walked over to where Tohru was sitting. He looked at Kanna who looked back at him and shrugged her shoulders in confusion. She put her hand on Tohru's shoulder.

"Tohru do you not like it. What on earth's wrong?"

"Th-th-the perfume..." Tohru spluttered.

Hao realised this was one of those soppy girly moments that tended to happen when the Hanagumi's bought each other gifts and he backed away slowly, not wanting to be caught up in the frenzy and get asked for his opinion on whether Mari looked better in blue or black (again).

"Th-th-the perfume" Tohru repeated. "It's magn-magnolia scented"

"Do you not like magnolia?" Mari asked wrapping her arms around Tohru and pulling her into a hug.

"I-I- love magnolia" Tohru sobbed, "M-my mother always smelt of magnolia. Every morning when she did her hair she would put in fresh flowers. Her favourite and mine were the magnolia flowers from our garden. You guys bought me the most wonderful thing ever and it just reminded me of mom and I couldn't stop crying"

Tohru began to compose herself again and Kanna handed her a tissue.

"Thank you so much. You have no idea how much this means to me. Everyone is so kind to me here. You guys you're the first friends I have had in months you're the best friends ever."

All four of them hugged each other for what seemed to be forever, then Kanna reached into the bag and pulled out a parcel similar to the ones that had they had given her with her new clothing inside.

"This is also for you. Except you can't open it yet." Kanna looked at the other girls and smirked, "Inside here is something that we all reckon you will love a little later on during our journey. Trust us it is the most awesome thing you can wear while you're part of our group."

"Umm...OK" Tohru replied as she looked at the parcel in wonder.

* * *

After almost an hour of chatting most people had gone to bed and the girls were all feeling tired as well. Tohru went back over to all her clothing and began to lay out the blankets a little near the fire. Everyone was fast asleep as she finally sorted everything out. Hao walked over and sat down.

"Where exactly is my tent? I couldn't find it amongst my belongings when we left."

"One of Toma's men managed to destroy it while I was moving you out of their sight. Why? Are you cold?"

"No I just wondered. As long as I'm close to the fire and you're keeping the elements out then it's OK." Tohru sat down on her blankets opposite him.

"You should get some sleep. I don't need people with no energy to do anything." Hao said as he got up and walked away.

Tohru took off her coat and shoes and wrapped herself in the blankets. She quickly fell asleep. The gentle roar of the fire and the warmth it emitted soothed her and soon she was dreaming. It was the same dream she had almost every night.

* * *

_She was in the field at the back of her house playing with her father. He was chasing her around and she hid in the grass. There was a fresh spring breeze and the grass reached up to Tohru's waist. She ducked down and crawled along the ground so her father wouldn't see her she bobbed her head up every so often to take a look at where he was._

_Then the sky turned black and the wind grew more forceful. Tohru stood up so she and her father could head back to the house but he was nowhere around. She began to run but tripped and fell back into the grass, squeezing her eyes tight shut. When she opened them again she was no longer in the field but a dense forest. She called out for her father but no-one answered. _

_This was usually the part where Tohru would wake up but this time she hadn't. Calling out again Tohru realised she was alone. She sank down between the roots of a large tree and wrapped her arms around her knees and began to hum to drown out the silence that surrounded her. She closed her eyes and sat there for what seemed like an eternity when she realised someone was carrying her. The person's body was warm and she huddled closer to this person as they held her tightly.

* * *

_

It was about three in the morning when Hao woke up. He had the strangest feeling that something was wrong and he crawled out of his tent to see if something had happened. He wandered around the perimeter of the camp then crept over to see if Tohru was asleep. He stopped dead when he saw she wasn't there. Her blankets were strewn across the floor and her coat and boots were still where she had put them earlier. He began to worry that someone had kidnapped her but realised no-one would be that stupid.

He thought he heard something in the forest behind him. So he ran in following the sound until he was surrounded by darkness. The sound was extremely close and he looked around him to try and make out where it was coming from. His eyes caught sight of a small form huddled against a tree. He walked over to find Tohru asleep, muttering to herself. He realised she had been sleepwalking and crouched down to pick her up. The moment he touched her skin he drew his hand back in shock. Her skin was ice cold. He put his hand to her forehead and felt it was warm. He realised she had a fever. He took off his wrap and covered Tohru in it. Then he scooped her up and carried her back to camp.

Realising he needed to keep an eye on her he took her to his tent and laid her down then brought her blankets to keep her warm. Tohru tossed and turned, thrashing about as her fever got worse. Hao sat there wondering how to stop her. He lay down next to her and wrapped his arms around her, pulling Tohru close to him. He was surprised to see this calmed her down quite rapidly and he put his hand up to her forehead to find her fever had broken. He pulled her closer and she nestled her head under his so that his head rested on hers. He smiled at her sleeping form then closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.

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Don't forget my forlorn looking review monster that lives in my wardrobe. Every review you send brings him one step closer to feeling happy. Remember. The review monster likes reviews, not chocolate chip cookies.


	14. Realisation

Disclaimer: I don't own Shaman King. I do own Rufus the review monster. He's fluffy.

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Ginnitsune: Yay. Another update! Rufus was very pleased with the meal. He is beginning to gain weight though. I might have to enrol him in aerobics classes!

Andrea Nefisto: I'm soooo sorry (sobs hysterically) but you know it wouldn't be a romance fic if Hao didn't like Tohru! I understand your pain. I myself wish to kill her just to keep him for myself but something tells me not too. I think its Rufus, I mean if I kill her off I have no story which means no reviews and Rufus would starve!

Mikauzoran: Me too. I love Jello especially orange, or raspberry, tho I can't say that I've given any to my fluffy review monster Rufus to try. I may have to. I'm really glad you like the fic.

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Opatcho woke up with the sun streaming through the trees illuminating the clearing. He stretched then sat up rubbing his eyes. Everything seemed to be quiet so he appeared to be the first up. He undid the zip on his tent then hopped out looking around for signs of life. He could hear the contented snores of coming from everyone's tents and Lactiff was murmuring something about peanut butter in his sleep in the tent next to Opatcho's.

"He gets louder everyday. Maybe I should wake him up before he disturbs Master Hao." Opatcho whispered to himself.

He opened up Lactiff's tent and crept inside. Then, using a stick he had found outside he began to prod Lactiff's nose.

"Lactiff...wake up...wake up"

He realised it wasn't working so he picked up Lactiff's water bottle and tipped some of the contents on to his face. Lactiff woke up spluttering, eyes wide in shock.

"What the hell did you do that for?" he said.

"You were snoring, and anyway we should wake everyone else up so we can be quicker to leave once Master Hao wakes up. I'm gonna help Tohru start the breakfast."

"OK I'll wake everyone else up"

Lactiff crawled outside and breathed in the fresh morning air and looked at his watch. It was about six thirty in the morning. He stumbled to the next tent, still half asleep and undid the zip to wake up whoever lay inside.

Opatcho made his way over to where Tohru's things lay but stopped dead when he saw he saw her blankets strewn everywhere. He rummaged through them to check she wasn't hiding anywhere and he discovered all her things were still there, including her shoes.

"Oh...ummmm... this could be a problem." He whispered in shock.

Everyone else was getting up so he gathered them all together panicking as he did.

"Right we all have to search as quickly as possible. If we can find whoever has kidnapped her quickly and bring her back then Master Hao will never know she was gone OK. Everyone keep quiet so we don't wake him and don't panic, whatever you do don't panic. Stay calm. Calm like I am"

Opatcho's eyes were wide and he was sweating and wringing his hands together. Everyone else was in the same condition as well. They all knew how Hao would react when he discovered she was missing. They set off in groups having agreed to cover as much ground as possible. Some used their oversouls for a birds eye view whilst others stayed on the ground

* * *

It was eight thirty and they had been searching for two hours and realised that they were going to have to tell Hao because he would wake up soon. They all gathered back at camp outside his tent. Opatcho went forward looking petrified. He undid the zip.

"Master Hao it's terrible we looked everywhere but sh..." Opatcho backed up slowly hoping he hadn't woken his master everyone away now before he wakes up. "Do something...busy yourselves"

Opatcho did Hao's tent up and looked back at the rest of the group who were standing looking very confused.

"We don't have to worry about Tohru" he said, the shocked expression still plastered over his face.

"Why?" asked Kanna.

"Because errrr... well Tohru's in there" he pointed at the tent, "with Master Hao"

Their eyes all widened as perverted images flashed through their mind.

"Guys. If Master Hao finds we walked in on them he'll kill us all" Mari exclaimed with a hint of fear in her voice.

Everyone else looked at her then rushed away from where they were standing to find something to do although everyone was waiting for the moment when one of them emerged.

* * *

It was another half an hour later before either of them woke. Tohru took a deep breath and realised someone was holding her. She opened her eyes and gasped in surprise when she saw her hands were wrapped around Hao's neck, clinging to him.

_My dream...It can't have been a dream. Oh god what do I do. This could be embarrassing. If I pretend to be asleep then he'll get up first and I won't be as embarrassed. Besides I can't say I'm not enjoying this. OK pretending to be asleep it is she thought to herself_. She closed her eyes again and pulled herself closer to him.

"I see your awake." Hao opened his eyes and looked at her face.

She looked back up at him.

"You had me worried. You do realise you sleepwalked a mile into the forest. Then came down with a fever. But you look a lot better now. It's a good thing I found you or that could have been our end. You don't have much luck do you." He whispered as he gazed into her eyes. He breathed in the sweet scent of magnolia that clung to her and smiled.

Tohru felt herself getting lost in his eyes as they held each other.

"I don't know. I'm not sure that I should look at it that way you know. As I see it I'm extremely lucky that you have been there to save me." She murmured in a trance.

He smirked when he noticed she was off in her own little world.

"We have to bet back moving soon. Stay here while I get you something to eat the last thing I need is you falling ill again."

He unwrapped her from his arms and she took her hands away from her neck lying back in the blankets. He pulled them back over her to make sure she stayed warm. She watched him realising he looked different somehow as he was wrapping her in the blankets. Then it hit her. He wasn't wearing the wrap he usually did. She looked around, wondering where it was. As she had been thinking this he finished piling on the blankets to warm her and began to climb out of the tent. He paused at the flap and turned around to look at her. Before she realised what was happening he was leaning over her with his hands supporting him either side of her. He reached down and quickly kissed her on the forehead then exited the tent. She lay there stunned and touched her forehead.

"What just happened?" she whispered to herself with a smile on her face.

* * *

Hao stepped out to be greeted by a sudden silence descending on the camp. Everyone looked at him. Some were grinning others were worried about what sort of mood he would be in. He looked at them all briefly then walked over to Opatcho.

"Tohru came down with a fever last night so see to breakfast for her" Hao looked down at Opatcho with a smile on his face.

"Master is she OK?" Opatcho queried suddenly looking worried.

"Yes but I'm not sure she'll be OK with the trek today so we're going to leave bit later today. Maybe lunch. Or I'll see about getting her there myself. We'll see."

Hao sat down by the fire glad for some warmth now he had left Tohru's side. He watched as Opatcho cooked her some food. He had dealt with everyone else's earlier when he realised that neither Tohru or Hao would be up any time soon. Hao took the bowl filled with food off Opatcho after he had filled it up and headed back over to the tent. He poked his head through and realised she had fallen asleep again. He sat down by her and tried to wake her gently. She mumbled something incoherently then wrapped her arms round his waist and rested her head on his lap, smiling. He found himself stroking her hair gently, enjoying the silky feeling of it on his skin. She opened her eyes and realised what she was doing, then blushed and withdrew her hands. She began to sit up and s she did Hao's hand came to rest on her cheek. She felt herself blushing more.

"I-I-I'm sorry m-master Hao. I must have dozed off again."

She stared down at the blankets afraid to look into his eyes again, she felt so stupid, blushing like an idiot. He smiled and took away his hand.

"I brought you something to eat. We're going to stop here for a while so you can rest then I'll decide how you're going to travel."

He handed Tohru the bowl.

"Master Hao you don't need to stop for me. I'm sure I can travel just fine" Tohru said looking guilty.

Hao put his hand up to her face again causing to blush. She sat there wondering why her heart began to pound every time he touched her.

"You're not going anywhere"

* * *

He crawled out of the tent stood there then started pacing, deep in thought. He suddenly looked up and whispered "Shit. I've fallen in love with her"

Opatcho watched him worried by his Masters strange behaviour. Hao walked over to him.

"Opatcho. Follow me I need to discuss something with you."

"Uh...OK Master Hao!" Opatcho ran to Hao's side.

"Umm before we go anywhere, do you need to put something else on because of the cold and all?"

"Good idea Opatcho"

Opatcho hopped off to fetch another wrap for Hao (he has a lot since he never seems to change his wardrobe). They walked off into the woods and sat down when they were out of earshot of everyone.

"Opatcho I have a dilemma"

"What is it Master Hao. Is it terrible, life threatening, deadly?" Opatcho began to rant.

"I've fallen in love" he stated

Opatcho stared at him. "w-what?"

"I'm in love with Tohru, and before you ask of course I'm sure. I have been in love before although that was 500 years ago. It's the same feeling. Just like the day I met Jessa, when I was a part of the patch tribe, the same feeling, heart pounding, electricity..."

Hao seemed to get lost in his thoughts.

"So what is the problem...ask her to marry you or something."

Hao snapped back to reality at the word marriage.

"How can I ask her to marry me and give her life to me so that I can get in to Dobi Village? It's wrong, I can't do that to someone I love"

"You don't know she'll die. Maybe it'll be different this time. She has already shown incredible resilience" Opatcho said hopefully.

"I- I need proof. I need to know for sure" he slumped his head in his hands

"Then test her abilities in a fight. Just make sure you don't kill her, but before you ask her to marry you if she proves worthy you have to tell her everything, and I would advise you to wait a little longer before you tell her all that. Just until you know how she feels about you. We can get Kanna, Mari and Matti to "talk" to her and find out."

"That's a brilliant idea Opatcho. As soon as she's better I'm going to challenge her until then I have to find out how she feels.

* * *

A/N: Wow. Marriage do I bite the bullet or what. I know it may seem a little abrupt but remember he's been watch on her for a while and taking the flippant way in which he acted towards Anna I think he'd probably be quite matter of fact with it. Especially since he is actually really old!

Wow. Rufus my review monster is gaining weight. But he needs more! How can you help with this...hmmmmm...? (Light bulb switches on) send a review. What a clever solution.


	15. A Family again

Disclaimer: I don't own Shaman King. If I did then poor little Manta would have a girlfriend(sobs) I feel so sorry for the little guy!

The updates are gonna be further between now cuz i'm back at school and GCSE's start in a matter of weeks!

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Andrea Nefisto: Yeah I suppose Lactiff was a little out of character but the guys gotta dream about something. Why not peanut butter! I really like strawberry Jello too. I had it for lunch today. Rufus really enjoyed your last review. 

Ginnitsune: I'm glad you liked it, it's nice to know my rambling is appreciated! Swimming would be a good idea but last time I gave him a bath, little clumps of fur started coming off 00 I'm not sure they'd appreciate that at a swimming pool!

Mikauzoran: You choked, I'm sooooooo sorry (begins to flail arms wildly about in grief). I understand your pain we shall all miss him being single(if he asks her). strawberry banana flavour Jello sounds like quite a weird combination!

Godoflight: Yay! i updated! I hope you like this.

Asavako: I'm really glad you like it. I love when i get new reviewers.

* * *

Hao made his way back to camp. He still had a while to sort out everything with Tohru before they arrived at Dobi village. Until she was completely better he just wanted to stay close too her. He knew perfectly well that she was a stronger Shaman than anyone in his group of followers but how strong she was he didn't know. He also realised that if people such as the X laws caught wind of her then they would do everything in their power to harm her or use her for blackmail. If he asked her then she would be in more danger than ever before. He stepped into the clearing and walked over to his tent. He paused outside briefly then went in. He was greeted by her dazzling smile. 

"Master Hao. I was wondering I know someone who lives deep in the forest not far from here. Would it be OK to visit her? She's a prophetic shaman. A fortune teller really and I haven't seen her for a number of years."

Tohru tilted her head to the side as she waited for his answer.

"I'm not so sure. I don't want you going off on your own. You have a strange history of finding yourself in dangerous situations."

"Oh. OK" Tohru dropped her head clearly disappointed.

Hao looked at her and his chest tightened, he felt guilty. _Oh no. I made her sad maybe I can..._.

"I will allow you to go as long as you are accompanied by someone. I will get Lactiff to escort you." Hao said.

Tohru squealed and started bouncing around.

"Why exactly is this so important to you?" he asked her once she had calmed down.

"Well since almost everyone I ever knew is dead she is someone from the past. I don't want to forget that past. There are only a few people left alive that were associated with my family; Tiegan is one on of them. You may meet the other two when we arrive at Dobi Village. I'll introduce you to them Master Hao." Tohru smiled at him. "There's something else I've been meaning to ask as well. You're always saying. Put up the tents, pack away the tents etc. but if I'm not mistaken isn't this a Tepee."

"Of course it is. There a lot more comfortable than a tent but saying tent is a lot easier."

"Oh. OK"

"I think you're looking much healthier Tohru why don't you get outside for a while. We'll be leaving in a couple of hours. I have to take care of a few things on our way."

"How will I know where to find you once I have finished visiting her" Tohru asked him.

"I'll come for you. I know the woman you're talking about. We'll be staying on the mountain again tonight but further up." He replied.

Hao stepped out of the tent and waited for Tohru to gather up all the blankets. He offered her his hand to help her out of the tent and she took hold of it hoisting herself onto the cold ground. Hao remembered she hadn't been wearing anything on her feet when he found her. Tohru hopped from foot to foot trying not to stand still for too long. Before she had realised what was happening Hao had swept her up and was carrying her bridal style over to the fire. She blushed as everyone looked over to see what was going on. Hao set her down the grabbed her shoes and set them down by her feet.

"Thank you" Tohru whispered timidly, realising that everyone was still looking her way.

Hao looked towards Lactiff who was sitting reading by his tent.

"Lactiff" he called over to him, "Come over here"

"Yes Master Hao" He replied putting his book down and walking over.

"You will watch Tohru today. She is visiting the fortune teller Tiegan. I will collect you both when I have dealt with the business I have to attend to."

Lactiff looked at Hao knowingly and nodded in reply.

"Let us be going then" he said to Tohru.

Tohru stood up having put on her boots and was about to reach for her coat when she stopped suddenly.

"Master Hao, I appear to be wearing your wrap. I'm sorry I honestly don't know how that happened" she laughed, feeling even more embarrassed as everyone continued to watch.

Hao looked at her.

"Keep it" he said simply.

"Thank you" Tohru murmured blushing even more deeply.

Kanna, Mari and Matti exchanged knowing glances and Opatcho smirked at Tohru's obvious shyness. Lactiff and Tohru headed off in the direction of Tiegan's mountain house. Once they were gone Hao looked around at everyone.

"We leave in half an hour. I believe my dear brother is due a visit" He said smirking.

* * *

Meanwhile... 

As Tohru looked arrived at the small mountain lodge that Tiegan owned, she smiled remembering the many times she had chased her father around the compound as a small child. She walked up to the door and knocked. A booming voice replied.

"I'll be there just wait one second"

Tohru smiled remembering the woman's laziness. The door swung open and a plump woman stood peering through glasses at her visitors. She bent down to look at Tohru more closely then her eyes widened in realization.

"Tohru! Little Tohru!" she cried out.

Tohru's breath was forced out of her as Tiegan caught her in a bone crushing hug.

"Come in, come in." she boomed gesturing to the cluttered living room, "And who might you be?" she asked questioningly as she peered through her glasses.

"Lactiff, miss" he replied simply as he followed Tohru into the house.

They sat down and drank the tea that Tiegan poored.

"Tohru, dear. How are you? I heard about what Toma did but I was so worried to hear you had disappeared." She asked peering over her spectacles at Tohru.

"Father told me to get to Dobi village so I'm on my way there. I had a few problems but now I'm travelling with a large group of Shaman that are entered in the tournament. The head of the group even took care of Toma." Tohru smiled.

"Well that's wonderful, excuse me Mr Lacitff but I must drag Tohru away for a moment." Tiegan boomed slapping him on the back.

She grabbed Tohru's hand and dragged her into the next room shutting the door behind them.

* * *

Meanwhile... 

"Face this way Hao!" Lyserg shouted into the raging blizzard. He launched his dowsing pendulum at Hao.

Hao turned around, smirking and lifted his hand. The crystal dropped to the floor.

* * *

Meanwhile... 

"Time to read your fortune. I haven't done this in a while"

Tiegan closed her eyes and held Tohru's hands as they sat on the rug. After only a couple of minutes she opened them and smiled.

"Tohru I have something that belonged to your mother that she intended to give to you."

She heaved herself up and took a slightly squashed box off a shelf then returned to sit facing Tohru.

"Tohru, you've fallen in love dear" she stated in a matter-of-fact tone.

Tohru stared at her then spluttered "w-w-what!"

"Tohru I can see it. You've fallen in love. You're mother would be so happy. He's going to ask you to marry him soon and you're going to say yes" she stated, smiling.

"I-if this is going to happen soon then should you really be telling me I mean wouldn't it be better left to a surprise? " she asked.

Tiegan suddenly became more serious "No. It can't be. In a matter of days he is going to tell you things that may drive you away. You need to forgive him child because what you are destined to be together, my visions are never wrong. Remember that love overcomes everything"

She shifted her weight slightly then smiled at Tohru again. "Now let's get this out for you to look at."

She lifted the lid and pulled out the most beautiful wedding dress Tohru had seen. It was made of off white silk and decorated with small pearls.

Tohru threw herself at Tiegan hugging her tightly as she burst into tears. Tiegan patted her on the head understanding how happy Tohru was.

"So this feeling I have in my heart is love, the feeling that I couldn't live with out him. Is it really possible to fall in love so quickly." Tohru said finally as she rubbed her eyes to wipe away the tears.

"Of course, look at your parents, for them it was love at first sight. If you're anything like your anything like your mother then you wouldn't be feeling like that unless it was love, think about it. Anyway, of course I know, it's my job to know.!"

"Getting married would mean I had a proper family again." Tohru said holding the dress to her chest and closing her eyes.

They walked back into the main room and sat down with Lactiff and continued to talk for many hours. Tohru looked at the clock on the wall then outside to see the sun setting.

"We're being picked up soon" she said, "It was great to see you again. I'll visit you again as soon as I can"

Tohru and Lactiff walked outside just as Hao appeared amidst a tower of fire, riding on the palm of his guardian ghost. He jumped off and walked over to them.

"What's that" he asked, pointing at the box tucked under Tohru's arm.

"This, oh well you see, ummm... it's a secret for a while. I may show you some other time" Tohru rambled.

Tiegan chuckled at Tohru's reaction then walked back inside her house. The spirit of fire dropped his hand for Hao to jump on. He wrapped his arm around Tohru's waist again and jumped up with her, Lactiff followed shortly behind them. They disappeared amongst more flames with Hao still holding Tohru in his arms.

They reappeared in a newly made camp halfway up the mountainside. Lactiff jumped down followed by Hao who still had his arms wrapped around Tohru. For the first time since she didn't feel embarrassed anymore. She smiled as he jumped down effortlessly carrying her with him. He loosened his grip to allow her to step away but she continued to stay close to her. Hao smiled at this

"What do you need me to do, Master Hao" she asked.

"Rest." He replied simply as he guided her to his tent, "It is too cold for you to sleep outside so for tonight you will stay here."

He opened the zip and nudged her inside. She sat down on her blankets that had already been laid out and took off her boots.

"Try to sleep. I will be back soon. Everyone is sleeping early tonight. He handed her some food that Kanna had passed to him, "Here"

He left her alone to eat. Once she was finished she rested the box on her lap and snuck another glimpse at it, squealing in joy as she did so. She covered then box with her bag, then lay down on the blankets and drifted quickly off to sleep, exhausted from her days trek.

It was little more than an hour later Hao did the flaps up behind him as he got into the tent. He looked down at Tohru and smiled. Hao pulled the blankets over her then lay down next to her, his eyes drifted closed. Tohru rolled over to face him and opened her eyes to see him asleep. She propped herself up on one on elbow and watched his steady breathing. She smiled sleepily and kissed him lightly on the forehead Then she rested her head on his chest and closed her eyes to drift back to sleep again.


	16. Just what the heck was in the parcel

Disclaimer: O wo is me for I do not own Shaman King but one day I'll be so rich and powerful that everyone will bow down to me and Shaman King will be handed to me on a silver platter.

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Rufus the review monster thanks all you beautiful people once again

Milly: Yes love is such a beautiful thing. isn't this just full of fluff!

Asavako: I hope he doesn't as well...we will see

Mikauzoran: I'll see what I can do about an invite thought I have a feeling they won't be inviting a whole lot of people! I'll have to make sure

Godoflight: I'm glad you like it that much...it has to stop sometime but don't worry. I have a whole other plot in mind that I might write as a sequel or just add on to this story!

Ginnitsune: Yeah boxing sounds like a great idea!

Andrea Nefisto: I feel your pain.. We can no longer have him to ourselves (sobs)

* * *

Tohru woke up first put on her boots and crawled out of the tent putting on the wrap that Hao had let her keep at the same time. She wandered over to the fire and opened up a bag to see what they had in the way of food. Finding a lot of eggs and some cheese, Tohru decided to make everyone cheese omelettes. She set up a smaller fire next to the main one on which to cook the eggs then she began to cook. As she was doing so almost everyone began to wake up and crawl out of their tents. She served each one of them in turn then served up some more as everyone seemed extremely hungry.

"Sooooo Tohru, tell me what exactly is happening between you and Hao eh?" Mari whispered in her ear as Tohru sat down to eat her own breakfast.

Tohru looked at her for moment, contemplating what to say to her in reply.

"Well I don't know how he feels but..." she paused then dropped her voice so it was almost inaudible, "I've fallen in love with him"

Mari stared at her. Then whispered Tohru's answer to Kanna and Matti when they asked what was going on.

"OH MY GOD THAT IS SO TOTALLY AWESOME!" Matti bellowed upon hearing the news.

Kanna smiled at her "Well girls it's not like we didn't know it would happen. I suppose if it's like that then your truly part of the group now and you can open the parcel we gave you the other day."

"Oh! I can open it now that's great!"

Tohru cleared up everyone's plates then made Hao's breakfast. She took it into the tent and sat down cross legged next to Hao. She glanced at the box Tiegan had given her, hidden by her bag then returned to watching him sleep. She contemplated whether to wake him or let him lie there a little while longer.

He opened one eye, looked at her and said "Are you gonna sit there all day or give me that omelette?"

"I'm sorry I wasn't sure whether to wake you up or not." Tohru looked down at her feet feeling slightly embarrassed to have been caught staring at him.

Hao sat up and took the plate out of her hands. Tohru got up to leave but he grabbed her hand and pulled her back down causing her to lose her balance and fall backwards on to his lap. Blushing, she crawled off quickly and resumed her position, sitting next to him.

"I need to talk to you." He said

After he had finished. He sat there and looked at her. His gaze Tohru nervous and she was suddenly very aware he was topless. A small spider crawling over her knee suddenly became extremely interesting. Hao finally broke the silence.

"I wish to fight you." He said.

"Have I done something," her eyes widened, "You don't want to kill me do you, Master Hao?"

"I'd never want that" _Did I just say that out loud? Hao thought to himself._

"I need to know just how strong you are. I know that you are more powerful than the others here but I need to know just how much. I wouldn't fight you if I didn't think you could cope in case I harmed you but I know you more powerful than that." He said smiling at her.

"But I can't fight you now. I let Ellena go, she had to sort things out, Master Hao."

"She's one of the five elemental spirits isn't she?"

Tohru nodded in reply.

"Then you can communicate with her wherever she is. It's an ability common with all of them"

Tohru looked at him, absorbing this new information with wonder.

"Seeing as this will probably be your first time it will be a lot harder but it gets easier every time you do it. I'll help you. By the time you become experienced at this you'll be able to do it without a second thought"

Hao motioned for her to move closer as she did so he grabbed her by the waist and hoisted her over so she was sitting in front of him with her back facing him. She let out a small yelp at the sudden movement and he chuckled.

"Now lie down and rest your head on my lap"

Once Tohru had done this he continued.

"Now close your eyes and focus on imagining her face"

Tohru closed her eyes and jumped slightly as Hao rested his hands on either side of her head to support it.

"Now once you've focused on her you'll feel her presence. Once you have that you can talk to her without even opening your mouth. Tell her we'll have fight a week today and don't worry because she'll be able to sense your exact location when it comes to the day"

Tohru focused until she could feel Ellena's presence then told her what she needed to know along with the details of what Tiegan had said to her. She left out her fever in case Ellena got worried. After their quick reunion Tohru severed the link and opened her eyes again. She looked up into his eyes.

"I'm really comfortable like this" she murmured, then clapped a hand over her mouth as she realised she had just said that out loud.

He smiled down at her as her face went red. He put one hand up to her forehead and brushed a few strands of hair away from her face.

"Then stay a little longer" he whispered to her.

Tohru closed her eyes again and smiled.

"After I have seen how powerful you are, I have to tell you some things about me. Things you have to know if you stay with the group." He whispered.

Tohru looked up at him again and frowned, sitting up. This was what Tiegan had talked about the other day. The things he would tell her could drive her away.

"Tell me now, why wait?"

"I will tell you when I wish to" he said.

"Someone's getting arrogant again." Tohru muttered just loud enough for him to hear.

"It's not arrogance when I control everything that happens within this group" he said smugly.

"You can't control everything"

"And how do you come to that conclusion?"

"Well you can't stop someone's emotions. You can't stop them getting angry or sad. You can't stop someone feeling hatred or love, or make them feel hatred or love"

"I suppose not. But then again when it come to hatred and love, anyone who hates me dies if they get in my way."

"And what of love?"

"I intend to have found someone to become my Shaman Queen by the time we reach Dobi Village."

"So you haven't found anyone yet then" Tohru asked slightly disappointed by his last remark.

"That remains to be seen."

"TOHRU" someone called from outside the tent. Tohru shot up.

"Mari. Is that you?"

"Yeah. Can we come in? Have you opened it yet?" She asked excitedly.

"No. I'm just about too."

Tohru looked at Hao, silently asking him with her eyes if it was OK for them to come in. He nodded and shifted so the girls would have room to pile in. Tohru opened the flap and beckoned them in. As they piled in they all glanced at Hao then turned their attention back to Tohru. Tohru picked up her bag and began to rummage through it to find the parcel they had given her.

"Hey what's in this?" Kanna asked reaching for the lid of the box Tohru was trying to hide.

"NO!" She shrieked, snatching it out of the way just in time." No one sees it until I'm ready"

"Oh. Okay then." Kanna said looking at the others

When Tohru had finally found the parcel the other three girls leaned closer in anticipation. Hao was intrigued by what they wanted to give her as well. But he hung back and watched Tohru's smiling face as she began to unwrap it. Tohru pulled out three things from inside. The first was a large piece of light blue cloth covered in large white stars. She looked at it in interest.

"You can where it like as a head scarf bandana type thing or as a normal scarf round your neck."

"I love it but why all the stars?"

"Stars are kinda like a status symbol when you're with our group."

Hao smirked at their latest buys for Tohru.

"Oh well it's really awesome...What else do we have here?"

Tohru pulled out a pair of gloves that were identical to Hao's but in navy blue instead of black.

"See I have some too" Kanna said holding out her hand "And obviously it has stars as well"

Tohru smiled and put them on, admiring them as she did so. Then she put the scarf on her head using it like a bandanna. She hugged all the girls and said her thank you's then they left saying they had to sort out their hair (they were really just trying to give Tohru and Hao _alone _time)

* * *

1 week later...

"Tohru wake up." He whispered in her ear gently shaking her.

Tohru murmured and looked up at him.

"We're meant to start our fight in half an hour. Opatcho brought you some food" he said handing it too her.

"I'm so sorry Master Hao. I don't know how I managed to oversleep. I even set the alarm on my watch and everything." She rambled as she tried to brush her hair at the same time as eating.

"Don't worry. I was the one who switched off your alarm. You looked like you needed more sleep."

"Oh well thank you then." Tohru said smiling.

She stepped out into the sunlight and quickly slipped on her boots. They had left the mountains three day ago and were back in the desert. Hao followed her out.

"Here put this on" he said handing her the wrap he had let her keep.

"But it's sweltering"

"This will keep you cool; it will also stop you from getting a tan. Your pale skin suits you." He smiled at her.

"Oh OK" she said taking it from him. She paused then stepped close to him and whispered in his ear, "But don't think I'll go easy on you because of this."

Her words sent a shiver down his spine and he smirked then leaned right into her. He gazed in her eyes for a moment then rested his hand on her shoulder and whispered into her ear so close she could feel his breath tickling her neck,

"I wouldn't expect anything less."

They walked 100 metres away from the camp in the hopes it would be far enough away that they wouldn't cause any damage. Tohru stood facing Hao with 20 metres between them. Tohru closed her eyes and told Ellena it was time. Ellena appeared next to her accompanied by a tower of water that disappeared instantly as Ellena turned and hugged Tohru. Hao shouted over to them.

"It's time to begin this"

As soon as he said this the spirit of fire appeared behind him and he jumped up to stand on its shoulder. Tohru looked on in wonder then an idea struck her.

"Ellena do you remember my father talked of me reaching the point where I could use a much more inconspicuous medium? He said that once I had reached a certain point we could use the water in the air. We could try that I mean it would mean we had a lot more flexibility in the moves and attacks we used."

"OK let's try it. I think you're ready."

Tohru pushed back the wrap so it all fell behind her shoulders. She took her chain form around her waist and threw it towards the rest of the group so it wouldn't burden her through the fight. This earned murmurs of concern from people who were worried about what she was going to do without it.

Tohru glanced at Ellena and nodded. Having received her cue she crossed her arms across her chest and closed her eyes. Small twisters of water twisted and snaked their way around Ellena until she was engulfed. Suddenly more twisters shot out, expanding and twisting into shape. Ellena now stood 40 feet tall, she had large blue wings similar to a hawk tucked in at the back and was brandishing a kyoketsu shoge (A kyoketsu shoge is like the end of a spear with a barb attached to a chain)

Tohru jumped up onto Ellena's hand, then up to her shoulder with surprising ability.

"I see you're using the Water in the air as you're medium but that won't do you any good" Hao called with a smirk on her face.

Instead of replying Tohru used the telecommunication Hao had taught her to tell Ellena to launch her attack. Ellena swung the kyoketsu shoge around her head then launched it at Hao himself.

The spirit of fire easily dodged and countered by grabbing the chain and pulling it but the chain dissolved into water and reformed, wrapped around Spirit of fire's of wrist. Then Ellena spun the chain more, allowing it to wrap around the Spirit of Fire. The fight continued for more than an hour with both opponents seemingly evenly matched. Hao was shocked at how powerful she was but he saw from the look on her face that she was almost out of Furiyoku.

* * *

Ooooo a bad attempt at a cliff-hanger... I think you'll like the next chapter (smirks evilly) 


	17. Questions in the desert

Disclaimer: I do not own Shaman king.

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To those who fed Rufus

Asavako: It's great to hear you say that. It gets very interesting once they get to Dobi Village with some very good twists!

Ginnitsune: Boxing sounds like a great idea

Godoflight: MWAHAHAHA! I am so evil. Hear is your long awaited update

Andrea Nefisto: I know they are sooo cute!

Windscarbabe: Yes the random box. Now everyone can rejoice from the relief of knowing what was in it. Hope you like the chappie.

Airtose: So polite. And there is even more to come. EVERYBODY REJOICE!

Fizzysoda: Not long now I can assure you. And it won't be without problems

Invader Neo: Wow so many reviews in so little time. I was shocked but thanks to you I now have over 50 reviews. YAY. I praise your craziness!

* * *

"This is it Ellena, we only have enough left for one final attack" Tohru whispered as she wiped the sweat from her forehead.

Ellena held out both her hands and shot a raging torrent from her hands straight at Hao. The spirit of fire countered by shooting a continuous length of flames out of his hands. As Tohru lost the last of her Furiyoku the water died down and Ellena turned back to normal leaving Tohru 50 feet above ground.

She felt herself falling through and caught her breath, waiting for the impact but it never came. Instead she was in someone's arms. She opened her eyes which had been squeezed shut and looked up to see Hao staring back at her. She realised they were being taken to the ground by the Spirit of Fire. When they reached the ground Hao hopped off and let Tohru stand up. Ellena smiled.

"I'll see you again soon Ellena"

"See you soon Tohru" Ellena smiled as she disappeared again.

Everyone rushed over. Opatcho tugged on her dress and hugged her when she bent down. Kanna patted her on the back and Mari and Matti gave her a hug.

"I think I need to sit down" she said to them as they handed her back her chain.

They all walked with her back to camp. Hao walked slightly behind the rest of the group.

"Master Hao does she have enough?" Opatcho asked, tugging at Hao's wrap.

Hao looked down at him.

"She has more than enough to get me inside and survive. I have no doubt she will be fine." He said, "But first I have to tell her everything."

"You're not worried are you, Master?"

"No. Tohru is incredibly accepting"Hao replied_. I hope.

* * *

_

Later...

"Tohru I need to talk to you."

The sun was setting on the Horizon and the sky was an Hazy orange colour. He took her hand and led her away from the group. He sat down when they were far out of earshot and pulled her down as well. She sat opposite Hao waiting for him to say something but he remained silent. Tohru rubbed her arms as a cold breeze blew about them. Hao saw this and started to take off his warp to put around her. Tohru saw what he was doing and put her hands up to stop him.

"You have to keep warm as well Master Hao."

He smiled at Tohru then grabbed her waist and pulled her onto his lap. He covered her in his wrap so they both kept warm. She blushed at his sudden movement but the close contact sent shivers down her spine. Hao pulled her closer then began to talk.

"1000 years ago there was a Buddhist monk who was a Shaman. He mastered the five points of the unity star and became extremely powerful. One day he had a vision that humans would destroy the earth, he knew what he had to do to save the earth and that was remove the humans..." He began quietly.

Tohru looked round at him slightly confused but didn't say anything and let him carry on.

"He saw that humans had no awareness of what they were doing and like a plague they infected the planet. He tried to get the other monks to help him in saving the earth but they were afraid of his power and sought to destroy and they succeeded."

"That was harsh. Especially if he wanted to save the planet." Tohru whispered.

Hao smiled at her reaction and continued.

"Yes it was. Anyway having mastered the unity star he had developed the ability to reincarnate himself and so about 500 years later he reincarnated himself in order to become Shaman King because with the power of the King of Spirits he could save the earth. He gained many followers and became even more powerful but once again people became fearful of his power and tried to stop him which they succeeded in again. Which brings me to the present day."

Tohru's eyes widened as she realised what he was saying. She looked at him for a moment, trying to grasp the concept of him living 100 years ago. He looked back at her waiting for her to say something. Instead she began to cry and flung her arms around him. Hao held her back, confused at her reaction.

"Err... Tohru why exactly are you crying?" he asked her.

"All you wanted to do was save the earth and they killed you. You suffered all the pain that comes with dying but not just once. How could they be so cruel." She sobbed into his chest.

Hao lifted her chin and wiped the tears from her face.

"You truly are a remarkable person Tohru." He said.

Tohru continued to look at him and realised what she wanted to do. She rested her hands on his shoulders.

"I promise never to let you suffer that pain again."

Tohru leaned in and kissed him lightly on the forehead. She drew away to look at him again but he hooked one hand around the back of her neck and pulled her back to him, pressing his lips against hers. Tohru's heart skipped a beat and wrapped her arms around his neck, deepening the kiss. Hao broke away and kissed her gently on the forehead. Tohru took a deep breath then laid her head on his shoulder. Hao ran his fingers through her and laid his other hand on her thigh.

"Tohru, I need your help." Hao whispered into her ear, "To get into Dobi Village people in the tournament have to pass a test. For me to get past this with out being turned away I have to effectively trick the King of Spirits with a special kind of furiyoku. You have that furiyoku and I need you to give me some so that I can get into Dobi Village and become Shaman King."

He waited for her answer.

"Will it hurt?" she asked. _Is he just like Toma? Is that all he wanted? That stupid Celestial Furiyoku I have._

"For most it would kill them."

Tohru's body tensed at the mention of death. _He is. Kill me and take my furiyoku. Leave me to rot._

"... but that's the reason I fought you yesterday. I was testing to see how much furiyoku you have. With the amount you have I have no doubt you would survive."

"But does it hurt?" _Tiegan said I had to forgive him. She's never been wrong before. If I'm not to die then maybe he's not like Makura Toma. He already saved my life. I owe him everything, how can I say no._

"The pain is intense but bearable."

Hao grabbed one of her hands that had slumped on to her lap and intertwined his fingers with hers.

"I-I I have to go I can't think about this right now. I'm so sorry" cried Tohru.

She pushed against him freeing herself from his embrace then ran off away from the camp into the desert wilderness. She continued to run until she was out of breath then collapsed in the dust, sobbing.

_He was just after my furiyoku, he didn't care about me, he didn't care what happened to me. How can I forgive him? How can I stay by his side? He has no feelings. Tiegan was wrong._

She continued to sob then curled up on the floor with her knees pressed against her chest.

"Well what do we have here?" came an eerily calm voice.

Tohru opened her eyes to see a man dressed in white standing in over her.

"You must be one of the evil one's followers" he almost whispered, pushing his pristine glasses further up the bridge of his nose, "We must rid the world of Hao's followers, then we will eliminate Hao. The light of justice will prevail."

Tohru stood up hurriedly feeling the sudden need to defend her own and her Master's honour.

"Master Hao is not evil and neither am I. Anyway who are you?" She felt the anger rise within her as he placed a hand on her shoulder.

"My name is Marco and we are the X-laws," he said gesturing to a number of similarly dressed people standing a small distance away, "Repent now and we save your life."

Tohru grabbed his wrist firmly and pushed his hand off her shoulder.

"I don't know who you freaks are but no-one threatens my life. Don't you ever touch me again." She said through gritted teeth.

"I see, you are some sort of whore to the evil that is Hao. Am I right? Well we already killed one of your evil companions today. "

Tohru clenched her fists and glared at Marco as she tried desperately to control her temper. Tears sting her eyes. _Basel. Basel's dead._

"No-one---calls---me---a---whore" she seethed.

Her whole body was trembling as she stepped forward and shoved him fiercely backwards causing him to trip.

"X-laws! Kill this dirty whore. She will not repent!" he hollered.

The X-laws shining angels appeared behind them and prepared to strike. One aimed and blasted straight at Tohru. There was a blinding light and Tohru looked up to see the Spirit of fire blocking the blast. As the light faded she saw Hao jump down.

"No-one calls her a whore. The only whore around here is the one in that tin can you haul around" he sneered.

The X-laws gasped at his cruel words.

"You and you're evil followers will be destroyed" Marco said as the X-laws disappeared in another blinding flash of light.

Hao looked over his shoulder at Tohru was standing looking back at him. He walked over and took her hand.

_He just saved my life again. He even defended my honour. How can I say no now. I mean I- I love him._

"OK. I'll give you my furiyoku" she said smiling faintly.

"When you do that I will consider your debt repaid and you will be free to leave whenever you want."

Tohru looked at him and her eyes began to fill with tears again _He wants me to leave._

"But I don't want you to leave."

On hearing this Tohru no longer wanted to cry, instead she was smiling her dazzling smile again. Hao looked at her for a moment then hugged her tightly and whispered in hear the words she had been longing to hear.

"I love you"

Tohru's breath caught as she heard those words and she pressed her lips quickly against his again.

"I love you too" she breathed.

Hao rummaged around in his pocket for something. Tohru watched him slightly confused at what he was doing.

_It's a good thing their were girls in this group who knew what to get for me. _He thought to himself

"Tohru, when I become Shaman King I don't want to spend my time alone. I've only known you properly for a matter of weeks but I've gotten to know you and more than that I fell in love with you and because of that..."

He took the small velvet box out of his pocket and Tohru gasped when she realised it was time. He opened it up to reveal a ring made from white gold with a green, pear shaped diamond set into it.

"...I want you to marry me and become my Shaman queen so we can spend the rest of our days together." He finished.

Tohru stared at the beautiful ring in awe and took off the gloves she was wearing. Holding out her left hand she smiled at him.

"You lead everyone to believe you're ruthless and you show no compassion yet here you are telling me you love me. Saving my life and defending my honour. I never believed I would be marrying anyone so young and yet I found you and fell in love and here I am accepting your proposal."

"You know you're eyes are really beautiful, especially under the moonlight. Just like diamonds." He whispered in her ear

"You know my father used to say that"

He took her hand and slipped the ring onto her finger. She began to cry again but this time she was smiling brightly.

Tohru flung herself at him so hard that he was knocked to the ground. She planted a kiss on his lips again and he pulled her against him prolonging it. He began to stroke her back then crept his hands down the sides of her thighs.

"We should get back." She whispered softly, "There'll be plenty of time for all this later on. But don't think you're getting any of that until we're married"

"WHAT." He exclaimed, "WHY NOT!"

Tohru smiled mischievously and picked up the gloves she had taken off then jumped up and began to saunter back in the direction of camp swinging her hips as she went. Holding out her hand in front of her to watch the ring sparkling in the moonlight. Hao looked at her retreating figure, smiled then jumped up and rushed after her, sweeping her up in his arms and carrying her back to where everyone was waiting expectantly to find out what had happened.

* * *

As always Rufus awaits your delicious meals with impatience. 


	18. Fatal Exchange

Disclaimer: As always I don't own Shaman King. And I must apologise most wholeheartedly for the long and unbearable wait. Sumimasen.

* * *

Ice is nice: Tohru's very emotional when she wants to be! I think we can forgive Hao with all the important putting fear into the hearts of shaman across the world thing he has to do.

Kaioma: Don't worry about it. It's always great to have new reviewers and its nice to know all the different people reading the story!

Pendulumxswing: Its definitely a hard one it's very clear that Hao has emotions, you could see in his eyes how hurt he was when Opatcho ran away from him scared it was very sad. Anyway you'll have to wait and see. I think that however much he may love her he has been waiting a 1000 years for this tournament so it could still be the first thing on his mind, who knows. Oh yeah I do hee hee well you'll just have to wait!

Godoflight: Well here it finally is after the long wait hope you enjoy it!

Andrea Nefisto: We'll have to wait for that. As the saying goes the course of true love never runs smooth, but then is it true love?

Mikauzoran.: AAA someone who understands my plight. Well hopefully the updates should be more regular after this. I think from now the story is probably gonna get darker than before with all the events within Dobi village

Silver Fox trot: wow a devoted reader I like that! Sorry I haven't updated before now.

Kari moon: You'll have to wait until the end to see what happens!

Haruka: it needs kissing and she's one of those overly emotional people when she's in love you know a lot's happened in her life

Mew shauzia: jeez don't get your knickers in a twist some people are so impatient!

Devil shaman: I won't disappoint however my friends are gonna have to help me write it cuz otherwise it wood be really crap!

Sweetlips: I know isn't it cute...she must have some will power though!

Aquatic mage: wow, Rufus hurried me along so here is chapter 18

Crimson moonlight and bloody rain: thnx, sorry for the long wait

Alicia Peralta: I am so sorry, but a lot of things have been happening in my life recently and then I got writers block, I knew what was happening but putting it down just seemed impossible.

Hao- addictive: OMG. Such an enthusiastic person, I check my account and I was shocked by the sudden increase in review, thank you so much for saying I'm a good writer, it means a lot to me!

* * *

"_If life knocks you down know that there is always someone beside you to help you back up again and when you find that person, hold on and don't let go because they will always support you._"

* * *

The night drew in as they set up camp once again but this time they were in reach of Dobi Village. Not that they hadn't been before with Hao around they were always just a Hells breath away but he insisted that they do this properly so he could keep an eye on his brothers progress.

Since Hao had proposed to Tohru she had shocked him by refusing to sleep in the same tent as him and had taken to staying with Opatcho much to Hao's dismay. He had taken it in his stride and tried not to show his frustration every time he tried to get more intimate with her only to be pushed away again.

Tohru sighed as she lay on the ground staring up at the star covered night sky she knew why her fiancé was stressed out but felt it would be best to wait until they were properly wed which wouldn't be long now. She absent mindedly twiddled with the ring on her finger, a lazy smile found its way to her face as she thought about Hao. Someone nudged her side with their toe and Tohru opened her eyes to see a man who looked extremely carefree an innocent beaming down at her.

"Thinking about me I hope" Hao whispered into her ear.

Tohru's cheeks tinged pink briefly at his closeness and hoped he had not noticed but she had no such luck.

"So adorable he whispered into her ear.

Tohru realised to late that he was trying to seduce her and had to scrabble away from him before he entranced her.

"NO" she shouted with mock serious, "Absolutely no monkey business until we are married"

Hao hid his disappointment quickly and smiled at her.

"The reason I came my beautiful fiancée is because I have to tell you that we are but a few hundred metres from the caves that lead to Dobi Village and we will be performing the ceremony at dawn tomorrow" his face darkened when he felt a clenching feeling in his stomach. _What am I thinking, she'll be fine we already worked it out she has more than enough Celestine Furiyoku._

"So my love you must prepare, there's a sort of ceremony that I devised to go with it. You get naked as part of it" He said with an uncharacteristic hint of sheer mischief gleaming in his eyes.

Tohru looked at him, trying to pretend she was mad at his perverted outburst but failed miserably and instead stood up and allowed herself to be escorted over to the main camp area where he began to explain the ceremony.

"It basically involves you placing your hand over my heart and willing me to have your furiyoku, when I begin to glow with a white light you pull your hand away, okay?"

Tohru nodded and stood up. She walked over to Opatcho.

"Opatcho can you fetch my towel from the bag in my tent"

Opatcho hurried off to the far side of the camp.

"One more thing Tohru. When we get to Dobi Village I need you to make sure you don't wear any of the star stuff you have on now, that way you'll be free to wander without being hassled, don't mention your with my group and avoid the X-laws at all costs I don't want anything happening to my bride to be" Hao kissed her quickly on the lips then walked off to talk with other members of the group.

Tohru walked off clutching her towel to the river over the hill. She removed her clothes and folded them neatly and waded out into the deepest part. Ellena appeared on the rivers edge and Tohru smiled.

"I wondered when you'd come back, I take it you managed to sort out your problems"

"Yes." _I spoke to Aki for the first time since the night we both first died._

"Do you want to talk to me about it?"

"Not the whole story, but I do have a few things to talk to you about." Ellena glanced briefly at Tohru, then resumed talking, "Getting married I'd hardly have believed it before we started our journey, I can see you love him it has nothing to do with family honour, your doing what your heart tells you to. I did that once and those were some of the best days of my life."

Tohru submerged herself down to her shoulders, watching Ellena as she talked.

"I certainly don't want to create a depressing atmosphere especially with you so close to Dobi Village but, I have to tell you this, once a long time ago I was married to a wonderful man, he and I both shared great power but it corrupted him, he tried to take the world for us, and he almost destroyed it instead. I understand that you and everyone else in this group believe with every breath in what you are fighting for but you must promise me that if the time comes and Hao is corrupted by the power that you will do everything in your power to stop him, because instead of helping the world he could eventually destroy it."

Tohru watched Ellena as she finished speaking then waded out of the water to wrap the towel around herself.

"Ellena I appreciate your concern but I can't see him ever doing that."

"I didn't think my husband would turn like that either, just promise me please."

"OK, Ellena I promise."

Tohru got dressed, quickly pushing their talk to the back of her mind. She wandered slowly back to camp, everyone was talking animatedly as she entered the circle around the fire. As she sat down everyone started cheering for her.

"We all wanted to thank you for what you are doing, giving Hao your Celestine furiyoku, so we decided to have a sort of party, some people bought alcohol but they won't let me have any because they say I'm so small" Opatcho said standing on a log seat next to her.

Tohru beamed at everyone as she was handed a beer. Tohru had never had alcohol before and as such was extremely wary so she kept her drinking to a minimum. By midnight the only sober people were Hao and herself. Everyone was asleep lying sprawled where they had dropped the night before. Tohru lay sound asleep in her tent whilst Hao lay asleep in his.

* * *

The next morning they all awoke early to pack. Soon they were heading to the blue caves where the entrance to Dobi Village lay. All of Hao's followers except Tohru and two brothers who weren't in the Shaman tournament had passed through into the deep blue to begin their test, already informed by Hao of exactly what it entailed they were all sure to pass. Hao needed Tohru's special and rare furiyoku to trick the king of spirits into letting him into Dobi Village.

They began the ritual for Tohru to pass her furiyoku to Hao. They stood opposite each other by the pool, Tohru raised her right hand and Hao using a small knife cut across from the base of her fifth finger to the base of her thumb Tohru winced as the red liquid dropped to the dusty ground. She held her hand over the pool so that her blood mingled with the sparkling water. Next she placed her hand over Hao's heart and closed her eyes.

She reached deep within her soul and found a vast sparkling silver pool that she realised must have been her furiyoku. She took a hold of it with her mind and imagined it passing through her body and into her fiancés heart, she felt a sudden jolt and saw in her mind her sparkling silver furiyoku mixing with Hao's deep red furiyoku. She opened her eyes and they both watched each other silently as she felt her furiyoku slowly being drained.

"That's enough" Hao whispered to her.

Tohru went to take her hand a way from his chest but it wouldn't budge. She tried to pull it off and seeing the distress in her eyes Hao assisted.

"TOHRU, LET GO" he hollered at her but it was no use, the tears streamed slowly down her face as they both realised what was happening, her furiyoku had bound to well with Hao's and the couldn't separate them. Her furiyoku was continuing to flow into Hao's body.

Tohru felt light headed and found she couldn't focus properly. With her other hand she reached out and touched Hao's face weakly before her whole body went limp and she dropped to the ground separated from Hao, not breathing.

* * *

Seripa: THIS IS NOT THE END OF THE STORY. ANYWAY REVIEWS ARE WELCOME FLAMES AREN'T RUFUS IS STARVING SOSEND HIM A NICE JUICY REVIEW TODAY. I'M SORRY THIS CHAPTER WAS SO SHORT! 


	19. Hearts desire

Disclaimer: Well I don't own shaman king though I do have a copy of the first volume of the manga!

As it turns out we're not meant to right messages to every reviewer  . So I'd like to thank everyone that reviewed since the last time I updated. I have to apologise yet again for the long delay. Everything is kind of hectic with all the work I have at school. Writers block unfortunately overcame me as well, then I lost what I had written so lady luck really wasn't smiling down on me! But here it is.

There was a slow dripping noise, Tohru opened her eyes slowly and tried to look around but everything was a blur. She tried to sit up but found she had no power in her muscles. Thoughts raced through her mind. The last thing she remembered was Hao's grief stricken face looking at her. Had she hurt him? Was he able to make it into Dobi Village?

Had he left her all alone?

A tear ran down the side of her face silently and soaked into the fur she was lying on. Opening her eyes again everything around her slowly came into focus. She was in some sort of tent, A tepee the ground was covered in furs and she was wrapped in a number of patchwork quilts keeping her warm. Above her were many drying herbs strung from the wooden supports. Then the smell reached her. There was cooking food and the drying herbs And the smell of greenery, plants and trees. The sounds of life went on outside there was the rustling of leaves in the wind and the crackle of a large fire but the voices of people were subdued and quiet. Slowly and painfully she turned her head towards the flap acting as a door. Wincing at the dull pain shooting through her whole body. She slowly opened her mouth and called out.

"Hello-o" Tohru croaked to see if there was anyone nearby. There was a flurry of movement outside and several heads poked inside showing signs of lack of sleep. They all smiled and Tohru managed a weak smile back.

Opatcho hopped in and hurriedly shooed everyone away.

"How are you feeling everyone was very worried" he said smiling

"hungry...pain..." Tohru tried to talk more but gave up and sank back into the bed her eyes drifting closed again.

When Tohru awoke again it appeared to be early evening. She still felt weak but she was no longer in pain. She tried calling out again but found that her voice had completely left her this time. Wearily she dragged her self from under the covers toppling onto the floor. She slowly pulled herself over to the flap Then hoisted herself to a standing position slowly. She wobbled violently and clutched at the material of he tepee to steady herself. Then, pushing it weakly aside she stumbled into the outside. She was standing in a camp. Everyone turned and fell silent she looked bleakly over at her friend sitting by the fire then wobbled dangerously again splaying her legs to try and regain her balance. Then she slowly shuffled over to the blazing fire. Mari jumped to her feet and helped Tohru over sitting her carefully down. Tohru looked around Hao wasn't sitting with them. Did he really care so little that he hadn't even been there to watch over her? She tried to push such thoughts out of her mind as her friends offered her some food.

She ate hungrily, as everyone talked animatedly to her carefully avoiding mentioning Hao.

"You were out for a week we were all very worried" one person said. Tohru wasn't paying attention to the identity f people talking.

" You have to see Dobi village it's amazing there are streets lined with shops and hundreds of places to stay as well as forests and stream and lakes stretching for miles"

"Yeah just look, see the king of spirits such an awesome site isn't it"

"not as great as Master Hao though.."

"No I never said it was don't go putting words into my mouth"

Tohru's closer companions turned to look at her, they had realised she was upset about not seeing him.

"I think you need more rest Tohru, you look tired" Opatcho said to her quietly she smiled thankfully to him.

He led her back to her tent and helped her settle.

The sunlight poured in through a crack in the flap. It was sweltering in the tent already and Tohru guessed it must be already nearly noon. She went outside and was greeted with the sites sounds and smells of the miles of forest and town that made up Dobi Village. The village itself was about half a mile away. She guessed why, most shaman weren't exactly welcoming of anyone associated with Hao. She put on the star covered bandanna that she had been given but decided against the gloves, it was hot enough already.

Every inch of her body still ached as she stood in the blazing sunlight. The sun beat down on her. She moved into the woods welcoming the shade it offered. She set off through the tall wiry grass, letting her hands brush against the blades that stopped above her knees. Though she didn't have any idea where she was heading she knew where to look for him. Not one word had passed between them since she had regained consciousness. Her heart ached as she tried to fathom why he had been avoiding her.

_Was he playing me all this time, just to get my furiyoku? Maybe he's angry I'm still alive. _Tohru tried to shift these thoughts from her head as she wandered through the trees. Her surroundings were silent except for the occasional animal noise in the distance. The lack of a breeze meant that their was barely any movement around her. Up ahead the light shone through and illuminated a large clearing. Tohru made her way to it apprehensively. The bright sunlight meant she had to cover her face until her eyes adjusted. As everything became visible she looked around. Right in the middle was a large boulder. Hao sat atop it, his back to her. She stood there unable to move as she watched him just sit there. A silent tear traced her cheek as she searched for what she wanted to say. Hao sat up slightly and turned around slowly looking directly into her eyes for a split second. What Tohru saw in his eyes before he looked swiftly away was something no one would believe possible. Regret.

She walked slowly towards him through the thick grass. As she neared the boulder he jumped down in front of her though he still refused to look at her. _This feeling isn't anger, it's worry, he has acted so strangely since I awoke. _

Tohru reached forward at that moment and pulled Hao into a fierce hug, startling him. He pulled back holding her at arms length and opened his mouth to speak but before he could do so she pressed her finger softly to his lips to silence him.

"I would have been happy to die for you. Please don't regret that I came to harm. I'm alright now aren't I? And what's more you got into Dobi Village."

She smiled warmly at him, and he looked at her before pulling her into another hug and kissing her cheek tenderly.

"I'm sorry" He whispered, as he ran his fingers slowly though her ivory locks.

She understood at that moment what it took for a man like Hao to apologise. To him everything revolved around his singular goal of merging with the king of spirits. She knew she could never best that. It was something she had accepted along with his proposal and yet she didn't mind because he did love her even though she wasn't what he truly desired as long. As she was by his side throughout, that was all that mattered.

Whew! Another chapter gone. I apologise for the shortness once again. I'll try and improve! Hope you enjoyed this. I'll update again as soon as I can. Try not to leave you hanging!


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